What is ILAT?

The Institute for Lifespan ADHD Training (ILAT) is the realization of a long-held vision of Kathleen Nadeau, PhD, who has spent more than 40 years working with children, adolescents, adults, and older adults with ADHD.
 
Throughout decades of clinical work, one thing has become increasingly clear: there is a critical need for more comprehensive, practical training in how to treat the complexities of ADHD across the lifespan.
 
Despite the enormous impact ADHD has on individuals and families, clinicians often receive surprisingly little training about ADHD during graduate education in psychiatry, psychology, social work, counseling, and related fields. Many professionals who want to deepen their understanding must piece together their own education through individual lectures and workshops — many of which teach about ADHD but provide limited guidance on what clinicians most need:
What do we actually do to help?
ILAT was created to answer that question.
Our focus is on what to do about ADHD — how to help people improve their daily functioning, emotional well-being, relationships, work, education, and quality of life.
 
Dr. Nadeau describes this integrated approach as therapeutic coaching — combining the insight, emotional understanding, and complexity of psychotherapy with the practical strategies, structure, and problem-solving focus of ADHD coaching.
 
ILAT’s mission is to bring together leading experts in ADHD diagnosis and treatment to provide:
 
  • Single-topic clinical classes
  • In-depth, multi-session courses
  • Case-based learning opportunities
  • Grand rounds–style clinical discussions
  • Peer consultation groups
  • Interactive conversations with Dr. Kathleen Nadeau and other ADHD experts
  • Practical tools clinicians can immediately apply in their work
Our goal is to create a global community of clinicians learning from experts — and from one another.
About The Founder

Dr. Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D.

Kathleen Nadeau is an internationally recognized, award-winning authority on ADHD across the lifespan and the author of 18 books on ADHD. She was the Founder and Director of the Chesapeake Center for ADHD, Learning, and Behavioral Health in Bethesda, Maryland, a highly respected clinic that served the community for 35 years.Throughout her career, Dr. Nadeau has focused on advancing understanding of populations with ADHD that were historically overlooked or misunderstood.

 

Her work has been especially influential in highlighting:

  • Adult ADHD at a time when ADHD was still widely viewed as a childhood disorder. She edited one of the first professional books on adult ADHD in the mid-1990s.
  • ADHD in girls and women, contributing groundbreaking research and advocacy that led to her nomination for the CHADD Hall of Fame Award in 1999.
  • Workplace issues for adults with ADHD, helping bring attention to the importance of meaningful careers and supportive work environments.
  • ADHD in older adolescents and young adults, emphasizing the need for continued support beyond childhood.
  • ADHD in older adults, a rapidly growing yet still underserved population that deserves far greater clinical attention.

In recognition of her decades of contributions to the field, Dr. Nadeau received the CHADD Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.

 

Across her years of clinical practice, her understanding of ADHD and its treatment has continually evolved, always guided by a commitment to developing practical, evidence-based strategies that help individuals with ADHD lead satisfying, authentic, and successful lives.

A Lifetime of Knowledge

Learn More About Dr. Nadeau's Practice

To learn more about Dr. Nadeau and her practice in Maryland, visit her professional website by clicking the logo on the left, or HERE

To order her books on Amazon, click here