SEDSConnective Charity Delivers 5th Year of Strong Advocacy for the Neurodivergent Community

Jane Green MBE, Chair and Founder of SEDSConnective, comments: "I am delighted to see how far SEDSConnective has come since the inception of the idea

SEDSConnective

SEDSConnective, a UK charity focusing on joint hypermobility conditions, including Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, is celebrating its demi-decade anniversary on 26 June 2023 for helping the members of neurodivergent community (identified here based on scientific evidence as those with Autism, ADHD, Dyspraxia/DCD and Tourette’s syndrome). The charity was founded in 2018 by Jane Green MBE, the Chair and Founder of SEDSConnective, to help the community after facing years of lack of access to care, support, treatment, and even diagnoses for herself and her family.

SEDSConnective is on a mission to educate the general population, as well as health and education professionals, about the financial and social impact of missed or late diagnoses for neurodivergence. Neurodivergent persons, identified here based on scientific evidence as those with Autism, ADHD, Dyspraxia/DCD and Tourette’s syndrome, could also be facing physical setbacks in addition to the mental health challenges. This is due to the existence of weaker connective tissues throughout the bodies of neurodivergent people. However, for diagnosing neurodivergence, health and education staff are not trained to include co-occurring physical conditions, such as hypermobility, allergies, or other physical symptom flares. This contributes to inequitable opportunities for neurodivergent people and pushes them behind others in terms of professional and personal lives.

Jane Green MBE, Chair and Founder of SEDSConnective, comments: "I am delighted to see how far SEDSConnective has come since the inception of the idea five years ago. We have made strides of progress and now have thousands of members who are enjoying the benefits of the support provided by our charity. Neurodivergence has historically been overlooked for certain groups, and while this is now being understood, the co-occurring physical health challenges or symptomatic hypermobility are still widely misunderstood by the society. Our voluntary charity wants to eradicate the misconceptions around physical challenges and neurodivergence, and we have quite a few miles to cover. Together, we can make things better for everyone.”

Dr. Jessica Eccles, Patron of SEDSConnective, comments: “It has been wonderful to work alongside SEDSconnective, a charity which is very close to my heart and to my work. It has been amazing to see SEDSconnective making a real difference to people across the world: As the charity celebrates its fifth-year anniversary, I would like to add that the educational objective of the charity is setting the bar much higher. I am pleased to be working together with SEDSConnective, and envision years of impending growth and development for the community through this partnership.”

To continue with its mission following the five-year success, SEDSConnective’s Chair and Founder, Jane Green MBE, has been invited to join the following industry speaking sessions to develop further awareness for the neurodivergent community:


• SEND Conference
https://sendprovision.co.uk/2023-agenda/
4.15pm on 21 June 2023: Deep Dive Discussion: Adopting a holistic view of SEND that considers the interplay between physical and mental health


• The Future of SEND and Alternative Provision Digital Conference
https://www.westminsterinsight.com/events/the-future-of-send...
11:25am on 3 July 2023: Supporting SEND in School and Ensuring all Children Can Meet their Full Potential


• The Future of Child Safeguarding Digital Conference
https://www.westminsterinsight.com/events/child-safeguarding...
12:25pm on 4 July 2023: A Revolution in Family Help: Working with Families to Improve Early Intervention


• Global Learning Conference 2023
https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/events/2023-global-learning-co...
5.40pm on 5 August 2023: Connecting the Dots between Autism, ADHD, Dyspraxia and EDS / HSD



About SEDSConnective

SEDSConnective is a voluntary and user-led charity based in Sussex with global reach of providing voice and support for people with symptomatic hypermobility (all classifications), undiagnosed EDS, HSD and JHS and neurodivergence. The organisation provides specialist services, advocacy and more.

For further information on the charity, please visit the website www.sedsconnective.org, or social media on Twitter (www.twitter.com/SEDSConnective), LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/sedsconnective/), or FaceBook (www.facebook.com/SEDSConnective/).

For media queries regarding SEDSConnective, please contact: Sonal@SEDSConnective.org or +447376973688.