by Solomon Ballin Age 27 I was diagnosed with dyslexia at 12 years old, it is said that I could also have other neurodivergence conditions like Dyscalculia and ADHD, although neither are diagnosed. I have a diagnosis of hypermobility Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (hEDS), Fibromyalgia and Mast cell activation syndrome along with 15 other physical health conditions, all diagnosed from the age of 20 with the onset of symptoms starting at 13 years old. Work: I used to work as a healthcare assistant, a job where I had the ability to make a difference in people’s lives, change them for the better or ..read more

From the article originally published by Reach in GetSurreyNews a few years ago : by Jane Green '"I wasn't masking at all, that's what I want to get through. I wasn't pretending. I just have never been believed and that's why I don't believe in masking. I think we all mask all the time," she added. She insists that from her experience, autistic people don't mask any more than people who aren't autistic and that women aren’t believed when they raise the possibility of a disorder.' 'She said: "I don't believe it is just women not being believed - non-binary comes to mind - but older people o ..read more

Natasha Green a member of SEDSConnective talks about severe migraines and how chronic illness has been a huge part of her life. She also talks about her hopes for the future and the link with neurodivergence, Autism, ADHD late diagnosis and pain. This is in the health magazine of The Telegraph. The link is here https://bitly.ws/3inYX ..read more

This information sheds light on the complexities of managing IBS in individuals with symptomatic hypermobility and underscores the importance of holistic support and understanding for those living with these conditions. We find many of our members who are neurodivergent (Autistic, ADHD, Dyspraxic, TS +) and have symptomatic hypermobility (EDS HSD) are prone to this.   IBS is quite a common disorder affecting the large intestine (colon) and sometime the smaller intestine and often accompanied by pain. Many people with symptomatic hypermobility or formally diagnosed (Ehlers-Danlos syndrom ..read more

by Jane Green MBE, Founder & Chair of SEDSConnective Traditionally, 2nd April has been known as Autism Awareness Day with jigsaw piece symbols and the colour blue.   Over the years the autistic community have said they do not believe in autism awareness as it’s a passive notion. You can be aware of anything and but it does not have meaning. So, Autistic people want acceptance because it means accepting autism as a natural part of the human experience (this is the neurodiversity paradigm). People are different. Everyone can be aware, but this doesn’t lead to ..read more

Image Credit: The Guardian. Photograph: Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images On the 19th March a study was published by BMJ Journals, The Guardian and The Daily Mail, suggesting that people with joint hypermobility might be at increased risk of long COVID, and may not have fully recovered. The study was led by our patron; Dr Jessica Eccles with researchers from Brighton & Sussex Medical School & Kings College London. The study looked at data from over 3000 participants in the Zoe Health Study and found that hypermobile people "...were about 30% more likely to be affected by long CO ..read more

11 March 2024, LONDON, UK – SEDSConnective, a volunteer- and user-led neurodivergent charity (evidenced as Autism, ADHD, Dyspraxia, Tourette’s +, and more), has launched the Neurodivergence Day on 11th March 2024. The annually celebrated day seeks acceptance for the neurodivergent community and is to also be known as Neurodivergence Affirming Acceptance Day alongside been the Neurodivergence Day. The charity encourages support from members of the community, and to join the conversation on social media using the hashtags - #NeurodivergenceDay, #ND, #NeurodivergenceAcceptanceAffirmingDay and #N ..read more

Dr Kana Grace, PhD Neurodivergent neurodivergence advocate and researcher Okinawa, Japan @kanabaletti https://linktr.ee/kanagrace Navigating life as a neurodivergent person often brings unique challenges, as I've discovered through my own journey. Despite consulting various medical professionals, many of my diverse physical symptoms remain a mystery. Ballet has been a significant part of my life since I was three, and paradoxically it camouflaged my neurodivergence and symptomatic hypermobility. However, everything started to shift when I stumbled upon information about connective tissue diso ..read more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7fkDA84xqc ..read more

Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS) – the exhausting fight to find out the rare cause of your pain when your doctors tell you it's “...all in your head” by Sarah Clark, 39, Southampton Twitter: @sarah_clark_84 If you’re told enough times by doctors that “there is nothing physically wrong with you...", where do you draw the line between believing what your doctors tell you, or trusting your own “gut instinct” to find out the real cause of your pain? It took over 15 years of not being believed to finally get my Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) diagnosis in February 2020 - aged 35 ..read more