spreading information about neuropsychiatric conditions/disorders - how?

[gabriela]

i'm a member of the local chapter of attention (the swedish organization for people with any kind of neuropsychiatric condition/disorder) - in fact i'm the only board member with a diagnosis...

it's been over 2½ years since i was diagnosed (p-acc, adhd and add with asperger syndrome traits), and it's taken me this long to come to terms with/accept this.
i've started to become involved in (with?) a number of "information activities", and tomorrow morning i'm going to a meeting with representants from the local hospital, schools and "local authorities" (spelling!) (can you tell my brain's running out of concerta? i seem to have lost my ability to express myself well in english!).

the woman who arranged this meeting (her job is to build a network between people who're involved in education and caregiving for children up until the age of 18) has asked me, starting this fall, to go with her to the meetings she'll be having with teachers, doctors and - most important of all - the "people in charge of the money"!

as usual, there isn't enough money to run this little town where i live (and *no* - *i* have nothing to do with this! it seems i'm not the only one with md/monetary dysfunction...;-), and so as always, it's the people who are unable to speak up for themselves who loose the funding - in this case the children who have neuropsychiatric conditions/disorders...

*anyway*:
i was thinking it would be *perfect* to ask *you* guys for ideas about activities to spread information about neuropsychiatric conditions/disorders...

let the brainstorming begin!

[Garry]

Can anybody explain this word to me

neuropsychiatric

[jaimegerise]

From dictionary.com

neu·ro·psy·chi·a·try ( P ) Pronunciation Key (nr-s-k-tr, -s-, nyr-)
n.
The medical study of disorders with both neurological and psychiatric features.

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Um...does this help? hehe

[Garry]

yup thank you

[FlakeyGirl]

You could make a video of the kids you'd be helping (unscripted would be most effective if you're brave) and show it to the people with whom you'll be meeting. On the video, you could show the kids in the midst of some specific difficulty, such as being scolded in class, recieving a poor grade in spite of having studied, etc. Then, interview each child afterward to capture his or her reaction and thoughts. Ask each child what, specifically, he or she thinks would help.

I do not have any knowledge of the laws in Sweden, but I would assume you would need written consent from each child's parent or guardian for him or her to appear in the video. You'll need to disclose fully to the child & guardian the purpose of the film and have them affirm their understanding in writing.

To get a short video, you'll likely need to shoot a couple of hours of tape. With kids you will end up editing out so much more than you keep. I think short (< 8 minutes) would be the best length to show to the "important folks" Anything longer just beats them over the head with it and they'll wonder if you think they are ignorant. With a short video, you can ideally catch their interest and leave them with questions to ask you. Then you can demonstrate your vast knowledge.

I would have an INTERESTING handout as well, like a fact sheet with relevant statistics and contact information.

Good luck to you---what an noble pursuit!

[gabriela]

hi,
i've just returned from the meeting.
i think i did pretty well - i was even asked to come and speak to more doctors and nurses in august!

i was invited to a meeting/lecture to be held on august 19, but when i tried to axplain that i (because of my p-acc/adhd/add/asperger traits diagnosis) almost *totally* lack *any* sense of direction, i could tell that the person who invited me to that meeting/lecture didn't quite grasp the *severety* of my spatial problem...

it's really weird, but i don't have any problems with "left" and "right" (except for the fact that i find it "interesting"/"irritating" that the houses are on my *left* when i walk past them, and then when i turn around and walk the same street in the other direction, the same houses are on the *right*!;-) - but "north" and "south" are virtually *impossible* for me to remember...

ah, well...
:yin-yang:

[gabriela]

Originally Posted by FlakeyGirl

what a noble pursuit!

thank you, but it's really not noble at all...
(weeeell, okay - but just *a little* bit!;-)

it's mostly a way for me to "avenge" myself, to try to make *something* good come out of all those years i *suffered* because no one realised that what was going on with me wasn't "lousy childhood" but in fact something neuropsychiatric...

by doing *my* bit to make *sure* that *nobody* has to go through what i went through, i'm actually helping *myself* most of all!