Ehlers Danlos & Neurodiversity Research

I’m so excited, a friend of a friend just shared all this:

Dr. Eccles specific research areas are Neuroscience, Psychiatric and neurodevelopmental features of connective tissue disorders, Mechanisms of chronic pain and fatigue.

The quickest way to see a summary of all her 67 published medical research with active links to each is here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jessica-Eccles-3

Some titles of pubs just within the last 2 years:

  • Towards a Neurodiversity-Affirmative Approach for an Over-Represented and Under-Recognised Population: Autistic Adults in Outpatient Psychiatry
  • Joint Hypermobility Links Neurodivergence to Dysautonomia and Pain
  • Variant connective tissue (joint hypermobility) and dysautonomia are associated with multimorbidity at the intersection between physical and psychological health
  • Connecting brain and body: Transdiagnostic relevance of connective tissue variants to neuropsychiatric symptom expression

You Tube Videos:

Are you impatient, or is it anxiety?

So I started taking anxiety meds not because I thought I needed them (because anxiety is a lying turd), but because I was willing to try anything to help with occasionally yelling at my kiddo. I knew that no matter how “necessary” it felt, it was still also harmful.

Holy beans but was I anxious!!!! And until I went on the meds I couldn’t tell. I magically (pharmaceutically) had so much patience!

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Since I lost it once and have to redo it and am including resources, may as well share here:

My Pronounsthey/she

My Concerns: ADHDAnxietyASDClimate changeCollaborative & Connected Parenting, EDS (with POTS & Raynaud’s), Homeschooling (Unschool-ish, SEL focus), Hyperlexia, Sustainability (Search with Ecosia)
Join me in forming good habits with Habitica!

Embrace diversity with curiosity!

Anxiety:

https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/how-can-i-tell-if-i-have-anxiety-what-to-do-about-it-0914175

Too many people are letting anxiety make decisions for them. Approximately 1 in 4 Americans will have an anxiety disorder in their lifetime, and still more experience clinically significant anxiety symptoms that lead them to turn down opportunities and undermine their own potential. Even for those who do not struggle with clinical levels of anxiety, the messages about fear and anxiety in our society are not healthy ones. Long before coronavirus, the repeated message has been that the world is a dangerous place and we are vulnerable.  And more than that, we are fragile and can’t handle feelings of anxiety.

We need to change this narrative and embrace anxiety as the signal that a challenge lies ahead. We can shift the thinking pattern that screams in our heads that the situation portends a threat we cannot manage to a quieter voice that empowers us to handle a challenge, and recognize that we can get back up even when something doesn’t go well. It is time to develop a new mantra: Anxiety is uncomfortable but not dangerous. Anxiety can be tolerated so we don’t need to escape or avoid situations that make us anxious when no objective danger is present.

Resource: https://mindtrails.virginia.edu/

https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/why-anxiety-should-not-be-feared

Climate Change

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/climate-change

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/your-guide-talking-kids-all-ages-about-climate-change

https://www.npr.org/2019/10/22/772266241/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-climate-change

Neurodiversity Advocacy

Here are some great advocates with amazing communities – though some of them may not recognize that being an advocate for Neurodiversity is what they are doing. Just by being their authentic selves, being neurodivergent (again even if not recognized), and welcoming others to share their diversity of experiences, they are showing that diversity is not only ok, it is beautiful, incredible and resilient.