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NESST – NeuroDiverse Education Support Services & Tutoring

What is NeuroDiversity?

It is a non-medical term which describes the unique and different ways our brains work. The brain being the physical functioning part while the mind reflects our “thinking”, or ways we use our brain.

When challenged by problems related to neurology of the brain, I step through three main categories of questions:

  1. Is it genetic? Is it epigenetic? (Epigenetics refers to how your behaviours and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work. Unlike genetic changes (mutations), epigenetic changes are reversible and do not change the sequence of DNA bases, but they can change how your body reads a DNA sequence)
  2. Is it a chemical imbalance in the brain creating the behaviour or learning difficulties (i.e. related to diet and nutrition)? Investigate Brain Chemistry
  3. Is it related to dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system?

While difficulties with learning and behaviour can be caused by a raft of issues, these three categories of questions may assist you, and at least be worth exploring for your understanding of your person.

A NeuroDivergent brain describes the situation where an individual’s brain may operate differently from a standard or NeuroTypical brain.

This can include individuals who may have one or multiple diagnosis of Autism (level 1-3), ADHD, Dyscalculia, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia,  through to the Gifted.

Even though there is no such thing as “normal” – those who are not NeuroDiverse are referred to as NeuroTypical.

Articles include research, latest news and trends and at the bottom I share my thoughts and experiences with Meltdowns.

Learning Science and Brain Chemistry

As an educator of some years – primary and workplace, I often saw the meme:

“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn”

This set me on a course to understand more about the science of learning.  I am extremely grateful to the University of Sydney and my lecturers and supervisor who had the perfect qualification for me to make this happen (no longer offered) – the Masters of Learning Science and Technology (MLST).

I am grateful to my supervisor who guided me through my submission to the Ethics committee, my research project and my dissertation wrapping it all together.

In this topic area articles are about the learning science or science of learning, neurology and brain chemistry, educational theory and more. This will be evolving.

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Autism and Meltdowns

This topic centres around my interest in both Autism and my own research project into Meltdowns.

  • Why is it that a child sitting calmly engaged in an activity will suddenly explode into a meltdown and smash screens, throw objects or punch holes in walls?
  • Why do vibrations – be it sound, light or other sensory inputs impact this cohort so much?

Once we understand this system and ways in which we can assist – with breathing techniques, with our nutrition and supplements, and with exercise we may be able to find our balance to reduce the meltdowns and perhaps one day avoid them.

Follow me as I share information, virtual on-line events and physical events.

The basis of dysfunction, I found, was in the Autonomic Nervous System – the balance between our stress hormones (Sympathetic Nervous System) and our rest and digest hormones (Parasympathetic Nervous System), along with a few other factors.

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Dyslexia

This is a specific condition related to the part of the brain that processes language. This can bring about challenges with learning to read and write because of difficulties with identifying speech, and the sounds of letters and words. This can impact both literacy and writing.

It can also make working with numbers difficult too.

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Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is refers to someone who has trouble with writing. This can be a physical difficulty with holding a pen or pencil and the physicality of constructing letters and numbers. It can also refer to difficulties formulating sentences and translating thoughts into words and sentences.

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Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia may come along with Autism and/or ADHD. It is refers to difficulties with the ability to understand, learn, and perform math and number-based operations. In this case the child or student may have difficulty with numeracy.

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