Dr Alison (Sally) Poulton

Dr Alison (Sally) Poulton is a paediatrician in Penrith NSW, with more than 25 years of experience of working with children and young people with ADHD and their families in public and private settings. She is an academic (senior lecturer) with the University of Sydney and Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, and a member of the Australasian ADHD Professional Association and a board member of ADHD Australia.

Dr Poulton's research has a clinical focus, including her MD in 2011 with the University of Cambridge on the effects of stimulant medication on growth, puberty, body composition and bone age. Her more recent research into the evidence underpinning stimulant prescribing restrictions found limited support for any set maximum dose and little to support the notion that prescription stimulants are addictive.

Current diagnostic criteria for ADHD are not great for diagnosing girls and even worse for adults. We need new ways of conceptualizing and assessing ADHD. Sally has an educational website on ADHD (www.poultonadhd.com.au) which aims to provide simple explanations and to improve community understanding of ADHD.

The increase in interest and understanding of ADHD has increased the pressure on the already inadequate services for diagnosis and treatment. New models of care are desperately needed and Dr Poulton is involved in running a pilot program of integrated care for ADHD involving training GPs for independent diagnosis and treatment. She has found that upskilled GPs can do an excellent job of managing ADHD independently!