Student Support - Self-Care Information and Resources

Gemma's experience (in case it’s useful or relevant):

Recently, I discovered that I’ve likely been struggling with undiagnosed ADHD for my entire life. For me, “struggling” looked like a constant battle with burnout, anxiety, and depression. ADHD is a neurodiverse condition, which means my brain has developed differently to others (who are neurotypical). This means that I need to work differently to excel at what I’m passionate about. What I’ve realised is that the information, that allows us to manage our neurodiversity, is not easy to find. I want to make self-help information available to everyone at the RNCM, both students and staff alike. We need to learn to WORK WITH OUR BRAINS rather than against them.

My thoughts:

• Don’t assume things about neurodivergent people.
• Thanks to a lot of stigmas around the term “neurodivergence”, we may incorrectly assume that they are generally less able or unintelligent.
• Neurodivergent conditions, such as ADHD or autism, will not be the same for everyone. They can look very different in one individual compared to another.
• Support is out there!

Famous people with neurodivergence:

• 10 Famous Neurodivergent Women - IWD 2021 - Enna
• 30 Successful People on the Autism Spectrum (abadegreeprograms.net)
• Autistic Individuals in the Arts: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (wm.edu)

Neurodiversity resources:

• Understanding the Different Types of Neurodiversity & Their Strengths - Daivergent
• Neurodivergent: What It Is, Symptoms & Types (clevelandclinic.org) (FANTASTIC summary of issues that need covering)
• Book: The Power of Neurodiversity: Unleashing the Advantages of Your Differently Wired Brain (published in hardcover as Neurodiversity): Amazon.co.uk: Armstrong PhD, Ph.D. Thomas: 9780738215242: Books 

ADHD Resources:

• ADHD in Adults (adhdfoundation.org.uk) has a range of resources
• 10-top-tips-for-effective-Self-Care-for-people-with-ADHD (adhdfoundation.org.uk)
• Advice-and-Guidance-for-students-with-ADHD.pdf (adhdfoundation.org.uk)
• ADHD & Sleep - The Sleep Charity
• Musician with ADHD wants rethink on neurodiversity in classical music industry - ABC News
• Solve it Grid: 345869_RosierYourBrainsNotBroken_SolveItGrid_FINAL.pdf (squarespace.com)
• Youtube channel: How to ADHD
• Self-help book: Your Brain’s Not Broken: Strategies for Navigating Your Emotions and Life with ADHD by Tamara Rosier 

Autism Resources:

• Book: Unmasking Autism: The Power of Embracing Our Hidden Neurodiversity: Amazon.co.uk: Price, Devon: 9781800960541: Books
• Youtube: 10 things you should know about autism 
• Youtube TED Talk: What it's really like to have autism