Lee Anderson branded ‘ignorant’ and ‘judgemental’ by families after saying ADHD is ‘bad parenting’

Several parents of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have hit out at Lee Anderson for questioning whether it was right for them to claim disability benefits for their offspring.

The Conservative Party deputy chair told a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference on Tuesday that he did not believe children with ADHD are disabled and said the condition was an example of “bad parenting”.

Parents told i Mr Anderson was ignorant to think that children with the condition, which affects behaviour, should not be entitled to claim disability living allowance (DLA), because they needed it to access opportunities.

Annie Clements, whose two children have the condition, said Mr Anderson’s comments were from the “dark ages” and claimed they will increase the stigma faced by those with ADHD.

She said if there was a way to get support for ADHD without calling it a disability, many might take this option, adding: “But right now, that is the word that the government actually insists that we use – to be able to access any financial support. So really that responsibility is down to them.”

Kristie Frost, whose eight-year-old child has the condition said: “I was shocked to hear that ableist comments like this are being made publicly in 2023. His comments about bad parenting are very judgemental.

“If only it were so easy for parents to use a ‘label’ to get extra benefits. Unfortunately the reality is that parents have to fight for years to have their child seen by the right professionals for a diagnosis.

“Without the carers and disability benefit we simply would not be able to survive, let alone get their needs met.”

Lisa Watchorn said she claimed DLA for her son in order to pay her bills, adding: “Mr Anderson’s comments have really upset me.

“Having disabled children is expensive. DLA is surely there to help parents meet the many extra costs of having a child with a disability precisely so that the [child] can live a good life, contribute to society in whatever way works for them and be the best version of themselves as they grow into adulthood.”

During his speech, Mr Anderson had said of ADHD: “I don’t believe a lot of that. I think a lot of it is just bad parenting.

“Those poor children are going to grow up and think, ‘Well, I’m disabled, I can’t work’ and we’ve not broke[n] the cycle. We’ve actually passed one set of problems on to the next step.

“I think sometimes we’ve got to be a little bit braver and say to young people ‘you are not disabled you can go to work, we’re going to help you we’re going to support you’.

Related Article

“But we have got a system in place which encourages parents to sometimes – not all parents obviously – but it serves parents to make extra money by labelling their kids as disabled.”

Max Davie, who suffers from ADHD and has two children with the condition, said: “Lee Anderson’s comments betray a deep ignorance of ADHD. He seems to think that people with ADHD don’t want to work, which as someone with ADHD who has worked in the NHS for two decades is news to me.”

Mr Davie, who does not claim DLA for his children, added: “People don’t want support instead of working, they need it to access opportunity.

“His refusal to grasp this would be understandable in a pub. For a senior politician, this ignorance is shocking.”