Overseen by Peter Saltamaras, Co-Founder and COO of Lanara · Last reviewed 15 October 2026

Lanara provides psychology-informed support for adults living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) across Sydney. We support self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants, as well as private clients. Our help is practical: structure, routines and getting things done, at your pace.

Is ADHD covered by the NDIS?

The honest answer: ADHD on its own does not often lead to NDIS access. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) makes every access decision, and it looks at your impairments, not your diagnosis.

To meet the disability requirements, your impairment must be likely to be permanent and substantially reduce your ability to do everyday activities. It must also affect work, study or social life, and you must be likely to need NDIS support for life.

ADHD is not on List A or List B in the NDIA’s Applying to the NDIS guideline. These lists name conditions likely to meet the disability requirements, or likely to cause a permanent impairment. So any application rests on evidence of how your impairments affect your daily life.

The NDIA’s impairment categories don’t name ADHD. Its description of cognitive impairment does include differences in attention, memory and information processing. Where a mental health condition causes much of the impact, the NDIA may consider psychosocial disability instead or as well.

The NDIA also usually looks at permanence after appropriate treatment has been tried. Diagnosis and treatment of health conditions are funded by the health system, not the NDIS.

The Australasian ADHD Professionals Association has said ADHD is only rarely recognised as a primary disability in the NDIS. ADHD Australia notes ADHD can be a primary or secondary disability in some cases. In practice, ADHD is often part of the picture alongside another disability or condition.

From January 2028, eligibility for new applicants will be decided using a new standardised assessment of functional capacity, under laws passed in August 2026.

If the NDIS isn’t the right fit

  • Your GP is the first step for assessment, treatment and referrals to a psychologist or psychiatrist.
  • Private support. Lanara works with private clients, so NDIS funding isn’t the only way to access our support.

How ADHD can affect daily life

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition, and healthdirect says around 1 in 20 people in Australia has it. It is often missed in adults, and some people are first diagnosed in adulthood.

ADHD brings strengths as well as challenges, and every person is different. The hard part is often the everyday structure that other people seem to manage without thinking.

  • Starting tasks is hard, and finishing them can be harder.
  • Time slips away, so appointments are missed or arrived at late.
  • Mail, forms and emails pile up until they feel impossible.
  • Housework starts in five places and finishes in none.
  • Plans with friends fall through, and connections fade.
  • Work or study feels like a constant catch-up.

This is not about laziness or trying harder. It is how attention and planning work for that person. Many people with ADHD also live with anxiety or depression, which can add to the load. It changes over time too, and stress or big life changes can make a good routine fall apart.

How our support can help

Every Lanara support worker holds a university degree in psychology or a related discipline, and has completed mental health and trauma-informed training. That background helps with the things that often sit alongside ADHD: overwhelm, low confidence, anxiety and routines that keep slipping.

We match carefully and aim for the same support worker each time. A familiar person who knows your systems makes a real difference.

  • Psychosocial support: building a weekly plan, breaking big tasks into small steps, setting up reminders, and practising strategies your treating team has suggested.
  • Daily living assistance: working alongside you on housework, meal planning, writing a shopping list, sorting paperwork, and making or getting to appointments.
  • Social and community participation: getting to a class, the gym or a group you keep meaning to join, until it becomes part of your week.

Some people find a task much easier to start when someone is working beside them. A support worker can do exactly that. The aim is to build systems that work for you, and to step back as they start to stick.

If anxiety is a big part of your day too, see our page on NDIS support for anxiety.

An example: Nick gets back on top of things

Example from our work. Names and details are changed to protect people’s privacy.

Nick is 34 and lives in Maroubra. He was diagnosed with ADHD in his mid-twenties and also lives with anxiety. After losing a job, his flat had got on top of him and he had stopped answering messages.

His support worker began by sorting a pile of mail with him, one envelope at a time. Together they set up a whiteboard calendar by the front door and phone reminders for appointments.

Each session, they picked one area of the flat to work on together. Later, they walked to the gym at Des Renford Leisure Centre so Nick could check out a class.

Some weeks the plan fell apart, and they simply started again. A few months on, Nick goes to the gym twice a week and keeps most of his appointments. He is now working on job applications, using the same small-steps approach.

Working alongside your treating team

Lanara is not a clinical service. We don’t diagnose ADHD or provide therapy, and our support workers are not psychologists, even though they hold psychology degrees.

We work alongside your GP, psychiatrist, psychologist, occupational therapist and support coordinator. Your treating team suggests the strategies, and we help you use them between appointments. With your consent, our team can share what your support worker sees day to day.

If you take medication, a support worker can remind you and sit with you while you take it. They never handle or administer it.

Getting started

  1. Call us on 1300 152 627 or contact us online.
  2. We send you an intake form and a service agreement.
  3. We match you with a support worker. This usually takes between 3 days and 2 weeks.
  4. Your meet-and-greet is your first session. It lasts at least 2 hours and is paid like any other session.
  5. Regular sessions begin, ideally with the same worker each time.

We support adults across six areas of Sydney, including the Eastern Suburbs and the Inner West. We support self-managed and plan-managed NDIS participants, as well as private clients. We can’t support NDIA-managed plans.

See all the conditions we support.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Is ADHD covered by the NDIS?

A: Sometimes, but not often on its own. ADHD isn’t on the NDIA’s condition lists. The NDIA looks at evidence that your impairment is permanent and substantially reduces your ability to manage everyday life. For many adults with ADHD, the health system is the main source of treatment and support.

Q: Is ADHD a psychosocial disability?

A: No. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition. But if you also live with a mental health condition such as anxiety or depression, the NDIA may consider a psychosocial disability. Our guide to psychosocial disability explains more.

Q: Can I get support without NDIS funding?

A: Yes. Lanara works with private clients, so you can pay for support yourself. Your GP is also a good first step for treatment and referrals.

Q: Can a support worker help with organisation and routines?

A: Yes. Planning the week, setting up reminders and working beside you on tasks are some of the most common things we help with.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 000. For urgent mental health advice, call the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511 (24 hours, 7 days) or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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