An ADHD treatment plan turns the person's priorities into functional goals, pairs each with a measurable objective, and records who delivers each part of multimodal care: medication, psychological support, parent or family training, and school or work adjustments. In Australia, the 2022 AADPA guideline sets the structure and asks for regular review, with or without medication.
What should an ADHD treatment plan include?
The reference point in Australia is the Australian Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for ADHD, released by the Australasian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA) in October 2022, approved by the NHMRC and endorsed by the APS, RACGP and RANZCP among others. Its summary of recommendations gives a plan most of its sections.
A practical plan records:
- the diagnosis, who made it, and any co-occurring conditions (anxiety, depression, learning disorders, sleep problems, autism)
- the person's goals, in their words, with strengths and interests noted alongside difficulties
- the treatment modes in use and who delivers each one
- the named care coordinator
- the rating scales used at baseline and at review
- agreed adjustments at school, university or work, and what the person has consented to share
- the review date, and the triggers for an earlier review
The guideline's practice point 3.1.1 says the plan and the sequence of treatments "should accommodate the person's preferences, unique needs and individual goals", and consider strengths and co-occurring conditions. Write the goals section first and fit the interventions to it, not the other way round.
For general structure, see how to write a therapy treatment plan. The anxiety and depression versions are useful siblings, since both conditions commonly co-occur with ADHD.
What does multimodal treatment mean in an ADHD plan?
It means the plan combines pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment, and says who is responsible for each. Practice point 3.1.1 asks clinicians to offer multimodal treatment and to explain that medication is most effective for core symptoms, while non-pharmacological treatments reduce the daily impact of those symptoms.
Practice point 3.1.2 suggests using both concurrently unless one mode is likely to be enough, symptoms are severe enough to need medication first, or one mode is more accessible because of cost, location or waiting times. That last exception matters in Australia, where specialist wait lists are long. If the client is waiting for a psychiatrist or paediatrician, write that into the plan and state what the psychology work will focus on in the meantime.
A psychology plan does not set medication goals, but it should note who prescribes and how the two streams share information. When several clinicians or educators are involved, practice point 3.1.3 suggests appointing a care coordinator, who can be the person with ADHD, a family member or a clinician. Put the name in the plan.
Which non-pharmacological treatments belong in the plan?
The guideline's recommendations differ by age, so match the plan to the client:
- Children under 5: parent or family training (recommendation 4.2.1).
- Children and adolescents aged 5 to 17: parent or family training (4.2.2), with more intensive programs where oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder co-occurs (4.2.3). Cognitive-behavioural interventions could be offered to children (4.2.8) and should be offered to adolescents (4.2.9), alongside parent or family training rather than instead of it.
- Adults: cognitive-behavioural interventions should be offered (4.2.11).
- Adolescents and adults: ADHD coaching could be considered as part of the plan (4.3.1 and 4.3.2).
- Everyone: ask about sleep, diet and physical activity, and offer strategies or referral (4.1.1).
Practice point 2.3.6 asks clinicians to explain that parent or family training "does not imply bad parenting". Say it early, because it affects whether parents engage.
Practice point 4.4.1 lists what to discuss to support adherence to non-pharmacological treatment, including the time needed to see benefit and costs such as Medicare rebates. Record that conversation, and the expected length of treatment, in the plan.
What are good ADHD treatment goals?
Goals should describe how life works day to day, not symptom counts. The guideline itself frames ADHD care around everyday functioning and quality of life. Some examples:
Adults:
- "I want to stop missing work deadlines."
- "I want to pay bills before they are overdue."
- "I want to stop arguing with my partner about forgotten plans."
Children and adolescents (goals held by the young person and the parents):
- "Mornings without shouting before school."
- "Finish homework without it taking all evening."
- "Keep friends at lunchtime."
What do measurable ADHD objectives look like?
An objective names what is counted, the baseline, the target and the review date. ADHD objectives work best when they count behaviour the client or family can record in a phone note or on a chart. Examples:
Adult objectives:
- Deadlines: "Submit 80% of work tasks by the agreed deadline over four weeks, up from about 40%, tracked in a shared task list, by the session 6 review."
- Finances: "Pay all recurring bills on time for two consecutive months, using scheduled payments set up in session, against three late fees last quarter."
- Planning: "Use a written weekly plan on at least 5 of 7 days for four weeks, up from none."
- Sleep: "In bed by 11:30pm on at least 5 nights a week, recorded in a sleep diary, up from 1 or 2."
Child and adolescent objectives:
- Mornings: "Out the door by 8:15am on 4 of 5 school days over four weeks, using a visual routine chart, up from 1 of 5."
- Homework: "Complete homework within 45 minutes, with a short break, on 3 of 4 homework nights, up from rarely finishing."
- Parenting skills: "Parents use labelled praise at least 5 times a day on 5 of 7 days, recorded on a tally sheet, after completing the parenting program."
- School: "No more than one teacher report of leaving the classroom per week by the end of term, down from four."
Avoid objectives such as "client will improve focus", which cannot be scored.
Which rating scales belong in an ADHD plan?
Practice point 5.7.3 says standard symptom and adverse-effect rating scales should be used for clinical assessment and throughout treatment. The important distinction is between tools that can track change and tools that cannot.
- ASRS v1.1 (adults): the WHO Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale has 18 questions on the frequency of current symptoms. Kessler and colleagues found the six-question screener outperformed the full 18 items at screening. Because it asks about recent symptoms, it can be repeated at review.
- WURS-25 (adults, assessment only): the Wender Utah Rating Scale asks adults to rate their own childhood behaviour. Ward, Wender and Reimherr (1993) reported that a cutoff of 46 or higher identified 86% of their ADHD group. It supports the retrospective history in a diagnostic assessment, but since it rates childhood, a repeat score says nothing about treatment progress. Leave it out of review.
- SWAN (children and adolescents): the SWAN rating scale is completed by parents or teachers and rates behaviour on a scale running from strength to weakness, which suits strengths-based plans. Collect it from home and school at baseline and review.
- Co-occurring conditions: add a measure for whatever else is being treated, such as the DASS-21 for anxiety and depression. Our DASS-21 scoring guide covers interpretation.
Read scale scores against the objectives. A lower ASRS score during a month when the client missed every deadline is not progress.
How often should an ADHD treatment plan be reviewed?
Practice point 5.7.4 says people receiving treatment for ADHD should have regular review according to severity, "regardless of whether or not they are taking medication". Once medication is stable, practice point 5.7.1 describes monitoring on a chronic disease management model, and practice point 5.9.1 asks that medication be reviewed at least once a year, including its effect on education, employment and participation.
For a psychology plan, set a fixed review at a natural funding point and add triggers for an earlier one: a medication change, a school or job transition, a new diagnosis, or a crisis. Transitions deserve their own line. Recommendation 3.2.1 asks that young people moving to adult services be identified at least 12 months before their 18th birthday, so for a 16 or 17 year old client the transition plan belongs in this document.
Can ADHD treatment be funded under a Mental Health Treatment Plan?
Better Access covers people assessed with a clinically diagnosed mental disorder, with Medicare benefits for up to 10 individual and 10 group sessions per calendar year. ADHD is a diagnosable disorder in both DSM-5-TR and ICD-11, and the referring practitioner makes the eligibility call. Health.gov.au notes that direct referrals from psychiatrists and paediatricians are also accepted, which is common for children with ADHD.
Ten individual sessions is a short course for skill-based work. The MBS explanatory note AN.0.78 caps the initial referral at 6 services, after which the referring practitioner must review the plan and issue a new referral. State in the plan which sessions are Medicare-funded, what happens at session 6 and at session 10, and how a group program could stretch the allowance. For the referral mechanics, see Mental Health Treatment Plan referrals, and for the report back, the psychologist letter to the referring GP.
PractaLuma is AI-native practice management software for Australian mental-health practices. Its plan management view shows how many sessions a client has left and when a review is due, and its standardised assessments library includes the ASRS v1.1, WURS-25 and SWAN alongside the DASS-21. See pricing for plans.
Frequently asked questions
Should ADHD treatment goals focus on symptoms or functioning? Functioning. Symptom scales belong in the plan as measures, but the goals should describe what the person wants to be different at home, school or work. That is what the AADPA guideline asks the plan to accommodate.
Can a psychologist write an ADHD treatment plan without a formal diagnosis? A psychologist can plan treatment for the difficulties a client presents with, but an ADHD-specific plan should rest on a confirmed diagnosis. The guideline notes that people whose assessment does not meet diagnostic criteria may still benefit from similar information and support.
Is CBT recommended for adult ADHD in Australia? Yes. Recommendation 4.2.11 of the AADPA guideline says cognitive-behavioural interventions should be offered to adults with ADHD, in individual or group format depending on availability and preference.
How often should parents complete rating scales for a child with ADHD? At baseline and at each planned review, from both home and school where possible, so that change is compared across the same settings.
This article is general information for clinicians, not clinical advice. Check the current AADPA guideline and MBS descriptors before relying on the details.