#dyspraxia awareness week 2018

[pjsta]

Ok but a lot of people will never fully understand just how important Ryan having dyspraxia is to me so here's some reasons for you:

- It's a hidden disability most people have never even heard about, so here's to educating them!!

- As people don't know it exists, representation is scarce

- Seriously i knew maybe two characters with dyspraxia before at the most

- and thats out of everything I've ever watched/read

- I don't even remember who one of them is but I'm sure I knew two

- and they dont really get into how it affected the characters either

- I now have a third character to whom I can relate whoooo

- Ryan seems to dislike talking about it bc of the reactions of people around him and honestly often times same

- First things first it is impossible for me, a dyspraxic, to condense the entirety of my dyspraxia down into a 1 minute summary and it often makes people awkwardly go oh... ummm????

- like i have a vague script but do i stick to it? Nope.

- seriously though i love that we got to see how different people react to his dyspraxia bc they were all so real and realistic

- He feels like he's letting his nan down (he's not but i feel this)

- But Grace was amazing and so supportive with him without trying to push so hard that he feels even more like a let down and she told him you already make me proud and im cry bc that is how you support and grace is the best fail to change my mind

- Graeme often treats it like he's using it as an excuse

- remember the "oh you going to blame this on dyspraxia too"

- seriously graeme, f u for that line

- i may think it myself often but it is Not. Cool. to say and it hurts like hell

- also he kinda seemed to treat him like a child sometimes and thats bad enough for neurotypical teenagers but pls dont bc we especially really dont need that

- Yaz knowing about it but not seeming to really know how to treat him??

- she occasionally seemed to think 'how should i treat him in this specific scenario'

- surprise surprise treat him like you would anyone else unless otherwise is said duh

- but i did like her making sure he would be ok with the climbing the ladder bc theres a difference between treating someone differently and actively making sure they're comfortable doing a thing

- (also fyi sloped ladders are mostly alright. Vertical ladders that go very very high can go die)

- yes riding a bike can be a real struggle for us dyspraxics

- if i didnt have the support and practice i did would very likely be in the same boat

- theres a reason why i dont trust myself on a bike on roads

- like yeah nope not a good plan

- ryan obviously not liking this aspect of himself is so relatable bc there're honestly times when i hate it too

- sometimes its just kinda there and other times its like i could really do without this pls go away and to see ryan do the same is just yh same

- i love that he said like despite this im actually a capable person but at the same time i hate it bc i know just what it feels like to know im a capable person but not always feel like it bc i cant always do things like everyone else can

- also!! Representation!!

- ik i said this earlier but the fact that we *actually* get representation for once and in a show as huge as doctor who?? THANK YOU SO SO MUCH!!!!

- im really so so happy about this omg

- also it's dyspraxia foundation's dyspraxia awareness week so it's great timing too

- im so proud of ryan though

- he keeps going and keeps trying and im so proud

- you got this ryan

- i really hope we can maybe explore more of how it affects him

- its a thing that affects everyone differently so it would be good if they can show a massive variation and there's seriously so much they could do with this

- like stuff like messy incomprehensible hand writing bc motor control skills hate us

- falling over bc suddenly all balance has disappeared and centre of gravity does not exist for us so whoops over we go

- balancing on tiptoes bc we know we're just gonna fall over but we're going to feel good doing it

- maybe a bit of how it affected him at school

- like there were times when yaz seemed to remember from when they were kids and hes just different enough for it to be noticeable and not just with coordination difficulties but maybe thats just me seeing these things

- slower processing skills lead to not getting things down enough in the classroom which leads to gaps in our knowledge!!

- I had a slope and a funny cushion at school to try to help my writing and focus?? So little gadgets (fidget cube anyone??) to try to help him

- good time management is not a thing. What do you mean an hour has passed in five minutes or five minutes has taken a year??

- ryan trying to get his thoughts out in a comprehensible order and just ending up in a tangled mess of stammer, words and thoughts that worked in his head but didn't come out right at all and oops but you guys know what i mean right??

- coordination working for a while then suddenly just up and disappearing

- ryan being given instructions and needing them written down all the time bc error 404 short term memory does not exist is a thing and no i cant remember this thing you literally just said what??

- ryan organising sthg in a way that everyone else goes wait what why but to him makes perfect sense

- the evil that is shoelaces

- maybe aversion to extreme tastes?? Bc thats a thing

- Distractions! Distractions! Distractions!

- showing that dyspraxia is not all about being clumsy and coordination there are so many ways in which it can affect us

- also mental health can really be affected by it bc we live in a world not built for us and when people dont believe it exists or dont support us in it very well it can be very damaging

- *something goes wrong*: flail and freeze

So yeah, Ryan being dyspraxic means so much to me

Thank you, Doctor Who

[downthetubes]

In Review: Doctor Who - Rosa

In Review: Doctor Who – Rosa

Review by Tymbus Robins

Image © BBC/ BBC Studios

The latest episode of Doctor Who arrived in the middle of Britain’s Black History Month with the similar felicitous timing as the season’s first episode which introduced a companion with dyspraxia at the start of Dyspraxia Awareness Week.

Rosasaw the TARDIS crew arrive in Montgomery, Alabama, 1955, shortly before Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks…

[dyspraxicme]

Happy Dyspraxia Awareness Week!

Happy Dyspraxia Awareness Week!

Our 'Dyspraxia Awareness Week 2018' event will take place this Saturday. Where you will have the chance to meet other dyspraxics and to find out about dyspraxia. Performer Kaiya Stone and artist Beccie Ford will be presenting their work. Beccie will also deliver a creative workshop.

About Kaiya and Beccie:

Kaiya Stone is a London-based but Yorkshire born writer, performer and filmmaker.  She is a co-founder of Transgress where she has collaborated on a number of shows including: Binding (Burton Taylor Studio, Oxford Playhouse), Not Your Nice Girl (, HOTTER   and The Other Team. Her first short film was released by Canvas. Her debut solo show Everything Is Going To Be KO premiered at Gerry’s Studio, Theatre Royal Stratford East, with support from the Old Vic New Voices scheme.  It covers her experiences with late diagnosis of dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD and ran at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2018.

She will be performing a story about her days at school with dyspraxia and an unexpected trip to London.

Beccie Ford, Ceramic Artist & Inclusive Arts Practitioner, will be talking about her dyspraxia diagnosis and her current field of research. Recent research has been centred around creating art in nature using natural materials with people with hidden disabilities, and through this process of creativity challenging the associated stigmas.  Beccie will discuss some of her findings, and following this will engage participants in a short creative-response workshop. Beccie studied a BA in studio ceramics at Falmouth College of Art, and has recently completed an MA in Inclusive Arts Practice at the University of Brighton. Although currently living in Sussex, Beccie is soon moving to Wales to continue her research and art practice from both a participatory and auto-ethnographical perspective.

This

Saturday 13th October 2018

From 13:30 – 15:30pm

At:

The St Pancras & Somers Town Living Centre

2 Ossulston Street

Kings Cross

London

NW1 1DF

Tickets here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dyspraxia-awareness-week-2018-tickets-46680395319

[juniperpublishersjcmah]

Effects of Unsaturated Fatty Acids in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the blood, especially omega-3 fatty acids, have been repeatedly associated with various behavioral disorders, including ADHD, but the relationship has not yet been fully established. On the other hand, treatment of low omega 3 and PUFA levels with nutritional supplements in children with neurodevelopment disorder such as ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia are thought to improve disease symptoms. This review presents a summary of effects of unsaturated fatty acids in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Keywords: ADHD; Unsaturated Fatty Acids; Omega 3; Omega 6

Go to

Introduction

Nutritional status and eating behaviors of children with ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is defined as a neurodevelopmental disorder that reflect the persistence of ADHD symptoms such as inattention, overactivity, and impulsivity across lifespan [1]. ADHD was associated with greater severity of global eating disorder pathology, restraint, eating, shape, and weight concerns. Several mechanisms explain the reason of ADHD on eating patterns. According to a recent study (2018), children with ADHD may lose control more while eating and may consume more calories than healthy subjects. In addition, children diagnosed with ADHD may eat more food even if they are satiated compared to healthy subjects [2]. Faster eating in children with ADHD, inability to focus on hunger-satiety cycles, and inability to perceive body stimuli may lead to impaired eating-feeding patterns

As ADHD is a common diagnosis all over the world, experts and families are turning to different methods of treatment which have also associated with nutritional status. These methods are increasing and sometimes cause controversy due to the fact that there are some methods which are not proven yet. Although the approach to the treatment of ADHD with fatty acid supplementation is a frequently studied topic, there is a lack of a comprehensive literature review.

Unsaturated fatty acids in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the blood, especially omega-3 fatty acids, have been repeatedly associated with various behavioral disorders, including ADHD, but the relationship has not yet been fully established. On the other hand, treatment of low omega 3 and PUFA levels with nutritional supplements in children with neurodevelopment disorder such as ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia are thought to improve disease symptoms [3]. Furthermore, no significant adverse effects have been associated with this treatment model. In addition, some studies suggest possible beneficial outcomes in case of co-morbid conditions such as epilepsy [4].

According to a study, the ratio of omega-3 fatty acids was lower in plasma phospholipids and erythrocytes in ADHD group than in control group, whereas saturated fatty acid ratios were higher in ADHD group than in control group. While saturated fat intake was 30% higher in ADHD group, intake of all other nutrients was not different [5]. Studies have shown that omega-3 levels are lower in people with ADHD compared to their unaffected counterparts, but the reasons for this are not fully known [6].

In a study examining lipid and lipoprotein profiles, plasma triacylglycerols and phospholipids were lower and free cholesterol, HDL and apo-AI were higher in ADHD patients than controls. When compared to controls, total saturated fatty acid ratio was higher and PUFA levels were lower in ADHD patients. Therefore, this resulted in a significant reduction in the ratio of PUFA/saturated fats. It has been reported that lipid peroxidation is reduced (decreased plasma malondialdehyde values, increased G-tocopherol concentrations) in ADHD patients. The results of the study reveal that there are significant changes in lipid and lipoprotein profile and oxidant antioxidant status of ADHD patients [7]. These data indicate that essential fatty acid profiles of children with ADHD are abnormal, and this abnormality is not due to food intake.

Omega-3 fatty acid contains Elkosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and decosahegzaenoic acid (DHA). DHA omega-3 fatty acid accounts for more than 90% of omega-3 fats in the brain. Recent reviews show that EPA has more clinical efficacy. However, both EPA and DHA are expected to be important, based on methodological considerations of the included studies, the majority of studies to date, and different mechanisms of action [6].

High-dose EPA/DHA supplementation can improve behavior in children with ADHD. In a randomized controlled trial [8], children with ADHD showed increased EPA, decreased omega 6 fatty acid, and clinical improvement as a result of 0.5g of EPA supplementation for 15 weeks. Alternatively, there is a multifaceted complex interaction between further deterioration in executive functions, eating-appetite problems, eating problems, obesity, nutritional status, attachment and family relations problems and ADHD symptoms

According to a study, omega-3 fatty acid supplementation was found to have a small but significant effect on the improvement of ADHD symptoms, and the dose of eicosapentaenoic acid in food supplements was significantly correlated with supplementation efficacy. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation was particularly effective in treating ADHD with higher doses of eicosapentaenoic acid [9]. Also, a recent meta-analysis shows that PUFAs supplementation monotherapy improves clinical symptoms and cognitive performances if these youths have a deficiency in n-3 PUFAs levels [10].

Go to

Controversial Studies

A recent Systematic Review [11] concluded that the majority of data showed no benefit of PUFA supplementation, although there were some limited data that did show an improvement with combined omega-3 and omega-6 supplementation. But they explained this conclusion via small sample sizes, variability of selection criteria, variability of the type and dosage of supplementation, short follow-up times and other methodological weaknesses. However, a recent meta-analysis of 24 studies with ADHD reported by Cooper et al showed that did not show improvements in any of the cognitive performance measures [12].

Go to

New Perspective

In this literature review, we emphasize the need for additional and more extensive clinical studies, but we concluded that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation is useful in the treatment of ADHD. It is thought that it will be beneficial to analyze the effects of food supplements by comparing them with different food supplements in the planning of treatment. In addition, ADHD, which adversely affects the quality of life, is important in terms of developing developmental problems from childhood to adulthood, using early diagnosis and effective treatment methods. Children and families should be properly informed during the treatment process. In order to raise the awareness of the families about nutrition and food supplements, programs can be included in social media channels, visual media and television where the studies on PUFA are explained and their effects are evaluated. The effectiveness of PUFA is thought to increase the use of food supplements to support pharmacological interventions, affect the course of treatment

Go to

Conclusion

This review gives an introduction to recent findings on the clinical efficacy of PUFAs in ADHD. Studies, Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing outcomes of supplementation with PUFAs have shown inconsistent results. But literature provides further evidence of the beneficial effect of supplementation with PUFA in the treatment of ADHD. Future research should further explore abnormal fatty acid metabolism in ADHD.

For more Open access journals please visit our site: Juniper Publishers  

For more articles please click on Journal of Complementary Medicine & Alternative Healthcare

[limejuicer1862]

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews

I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger.

The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

Sue Hardy Dawson

is a poet & illustrator. Her debut collection, ‘Where Zebras Go’, was shortlisted for the 2018 CLiPPA prize. Sue’s poems and teaching resources can be found on the CLPE website. Her second, ‘Apes to Zebras’ co-written with poetry ambassadors, Roger Stevens and Liz Brownlee won the North Somerset Teachers Book Awards. Sue has a First Class Honours Degree. Sue loves to visit schools and he has worked with the Prince of Wales Foundation, ‘Children and the Arts. As a dyslexic poet, she loves encouraging reluctant readers and writers.  Her new solo collection, If I Were Other Than Myself is due out with Troika, February 2020. Look for her on Twitter @SueHardyDawson, Facebook, Poet Sue Hardy-Dawson https://www.facebook.com/poetsinschools clpe.org.uk/poetryline/poets/hardy-dawson-sue Book her with Authors Abroad https://www.authorsabroad.com/search-authors/sue-hardy-dawson

The Interview

1. What and who inspired you to write poetry?

When I was a small girl my father used to march around the bedroom reciting poetry. He grew up during the infancy of accessible radio and most people had, a party piece back then. He actually had a rather wonderful singing voice as well, but he had a way of sort of acting out the poems. He was a great fan of AA Milne and would do the Kings Breakfast and The Dormouse and the Doctor. He knew by heart great long stretches of Hiawatha and the rhythms and repetition, exquisitely crafted language I loved. He would do the Highway Man, The Green Eyed Yellow Idle, Night Mail and the now somewhat none PC Cargoes with its cargo of ivory. However I loved to listen to his voice and his enthusiasm was infectious. Of course I didn’t understand all of the words but I was mesmerised by them. I wrote a kind of tribute to Auden’s Night Mail, you can find it in Where Zebras Go.

Like myself my father was dyslexic, though I didn’t know until after I was diagnosed aged 16. He was an extremely well read man but deeply embarrassed by what he couldn’t do. I didn’t particularly enjoy school either, though like my dad an avid reader, I struggled to spell legibly and had terrible handwriting. Dyslexia was largely unheard of and little understood then. I enjoyed art though and had a vivid imagination. When I was about 8 faced with the dreaded task of writing holiday postcards I wrote a little poem. It seemed to please everyone and was something I seemed to be quite good at. When my Nana died many years later, she still had that poem in her bedside drawer.

But in the meanwhile I became disillusioned, fearful even of writing, the sheer effort of it and when I left school I didn’t write for many years. Then fate intervened I had children and I started writing poems and stories just for them. Next one of them was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia and kicked off big style, they didn’t want to be stupid like me. Computers were in fact my saviours, when I first saw one it had to be filled with binary codes, not very dyslexia friendly, but suddenly I was helping a reception class and four-year-olds were using them. I learned and went on to do a degree and yes began to send poems out.  I went to a library event and Nick Toczek put two of my poems into a Macmillan Collection, Toothpaste Trouble, 2002, my first step. It would be 14 years before I got my first collection accepted. Poetry lists for children died and came back again during that time and it was essentially an apprenticeship. Yet I don’t regret it, I think my poems grew as did my family. It was the right time for me.

2. How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets?

When I was 14 in an English lesson I first discovered Ted Hughes, his poems were quite different to the ballad style poems my dad recited. I was struck particularly by ‘The Thought Fox’, it was as if he saw into my head. The best poetry, however simple or complex reaches out to a common experience and shows it in a different way. I think then was the first time I had actually thought about poets being people who wrote, that I might write poems. It changed my view of what a poem was and I felt I need to read as much of it as I could, to experience its constantly evolving form. From Hughes and those before him right back to 16 century and forward to the Mersey Sound, Kay, Duffy and too many to mention I absorbed them.

Many years later and two collections later, I found to my delight that I was in an anthology called A Poem For Every Night of the Year,  with Ted Hughes’s Thought Fox, still one of the most exciting things I have ever achieved.

Here also I owe a great debt older wiser poets, children’s poets, well at least those I have had the pleasure of knowing, are wonderfully kind and generous people. I have had lots of support and encouragement. I met Roger Stevens some years back and through him, Liz Brownlee, Gerard and Cathy Benson, Rachel Rooney, Jan Dean, Michaela Morgan and many, many other wonderful poets. I feel so very lucky and at first was more than a bit star-struck, poets whom I had read for years, I felt like a child at a grownups’ party. But though we span the country the internet means we can stay in touch, because writing is essentially a lonely business.

3. What is your daily writing routine?

On a writing day I like the first few quiet hours, I will take those thoughts once formed out for a dog walk, do admin on my return. Then late at night when the house quietens again I will work on until I feel my brain is too sleepy. I find that things become clearer if you put them away for a few days. So I’m always on with multiple things. If I get a block I read through old notebooks until something comes. A deadline has a great capacity to focus the mind. Essentiality, though, a good idea can arrive at any time, so I have paper pens, phone, notebook, Dictaphone always. I have a bad memory so if I lose the first line it’s lost forever. But if I scribble that even on my hand the rest will return.

4. What motivates you to write?

Everything and anything, I need to write or I feel quite lost, even if it’s not working out as I’d hoped I need to try every day. Sometimes though the best days something flies into your head and you just feel it has wings, it might obsess you for days and that for me is the best feeling, the constant surprise of not knowing quite where you are going but that it is worth the search.

5. What is your work ethic?

I write something every day, even if I don’t think it’s good, because without words on the page you have nothing to craft to work on. Sometimes a line is just shorthand for where you are going so it’s a case of don’t think too hard about good or bad just write. I will spend days, weeks or even occasionally years crafting and changing bits, for me that is the joy, the shaping and smoothing.

6. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?

I think immensely, first you must know what has been before so you don’t write it again, or at least provide a new way of looking at it. I think whatever you write you must read because there is no substitute for reading if you are a writer. I read once for pleasure and closer to see why it is wonderful or in some cases terrible. I unpick why and that informs my writing process. Not that I think about any of this when I’m actually writing. Writing is a bit like diving into a pool, you can control the way you leave the ground, but how you land and the bit in the middle is free falling.

7. Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

I have very diverse tastes in writing, for poetry, apart from all of the above I love, Pie Corbett, Philip Gross, John Foster, Joseph Coelho, Roger McGough and not exclusively Billy Collins. Literature, David Almond, Andrea Levy, Lucy Waters I could go on for pages.

Why I like writing that transports me, I love poetic prose, essentially if I read something and aspire not to recreate it but to write as well then I love it with a passion.

9. Why do you write, as opposed to doing anything else?

Well, because I can’t stop, in a way. I do have other things that I do but nothing that fulfils me in quite the same way. I also paint and illustrate though so I have times when those things take over, but even so I have to stop every couple of days just to write something or it gnaws at me and I can’t concentrate.

10. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”

I would say that we are all writers, but write what is inside yourself. Read as much as you can and not just what you think you like, writing that is bad can tell you as much about process as good writing. Write something every day even when you feel like you don’t have anything to say. Read what you write to others, draft and redraft, keep going. Write for the pleasure it gives you and because you can’t help it. If it gives you no pleasure you probably should do something else. Being a writer is a tough life because inevitably you need a thick skin. I thought when I got my first book out how wonderful, then a second later what if no one likes it? It’s not easy but if you try and keep going it’s possible even for someone like me who finds manual writing difficult.

11. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

Well some things are still top secret, however, I have a new book due out February 2020 with Troika Books, ‘If I were Other Than Myself’, I have done all of the illustrations and I am very excited about it.

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: Sue Hardy-Dawson Wombwell Rainbow Interviews I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me.

[dyspraxicme]

Dyspraxia Awareness Week 2018

Not long to wait for Dyspraxia Awareness Week 2018!

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dyspraxia-awareness-week-2018-tickets-46680395319

Kaiya Stone will be speaking about her performance 'Everything is Going to Be KO' and Beccie Morris will be speaking about her artwork on hidden disabilities and recently finding out she is dyspraxic.

Saturday 13th October 2018

13:30 – 15:30pm

Hope you can make it.