Jane Green, MBE
Chair & Founder of SEDSConnective
About Jane
Biography
Jane Green MBE is the Chair and Founder of SEDSConnective. In 2023 she was awarded an MBE for services to neurodivergent people and those with related joint hypermobility conditions, including Ehlers-Danlos syndromes. She had her Investiture at Windsor Castle on 4th October 2023, conducted by HRH Prince of Wales.
 
In 2023 she was also elected as a Founding Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching FCCT. She has MA Ed. (Management and Leadership) Autism focus,  ex.Assistant Headteacher,  Adv.Dip.Ed. (Child Dev.), PGCE Sec. Qualified Teacher Status (QTS),  BSc  (HONS)  Psych.
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Background
Growing up, Jane had various injuries and pain. At school she was placed in the bottom set and ultimately left school early. At this point she only had two qualifications and was considered "dim" and a hypochondriac. She later had two children who were both ill and one multiple neurodivergent, with a learning disability. In order to help her children, other children and their teachers, Jane self-studied whilst bringing up her children as parent and carer single-handed and working as a teaching assistant.
Later she became a teacher, then Local Advisory teacher for Autism ADHD Dyspraxia, Autism Accreditation assessor, National lead and Assistant Headteacher in Autism ADHD Dyspraxia. She was not believed to be different or ill/disabled and had to leave her hard-won career early. Only then did she receive her diagnoses, but was very seriously ill. She always felt there was something missing in health in the training initiatives for Autistic, ADHD, Dyspraxic children but there was no name for it at the time.
Founding SEDSConnective
Jane volunteered for other groups and charities, but felt there must be other people who were both neurodivergent and EDS/HSD. So she started SEDSConnective in 2018 in Sussex, England as a voluntary charity with no funding, no connections, but a huge passion to make a difference and ensure better outcomes for members!
The voluntary group grew and is now a charity with global reach. People have resonated with the ethos of a collective doing it for themselves but also constructively connecting where possible with others and allied professionals. This is key as it has better outcomes for others.
Advocacy, Media & Speaking Engagements
Jane is a non-Executive Director, the first neurodivergent Trustee at SCIE, co-production DEI&B Boards and Carers Boards for many years. She was co-Chair of the Strategic Oversight Group of the OMMT and work autism expert group, other forums nationally. She is demand as a keynote speaker worldwide from Australia to USA, UK NASEN TES conf. and shows, Chartered College, NDTi and the keynote closing speaker at the Global Learning Conference in Dublin. She is a regular presenter at Gov. thinks tanks on education, SEND, EBSA and also in psychiatry symposiums.
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Jane was a professional educationalist and presented for the largest autism charity for some years nationally and the first to help promote young Autistic speakers to have a 'voice' who then appeared on Channel 4 before retiring.
She has contributed over 30 education press articles and publications. She has appeared in the press and on TV (BBC News) as a spokesperson, as well as on LBC, Radio 4 Inside Health, Channel 5 and Teacher Talk Radio and BBC radio. She has also been interviewed on many webinars, podcasts promoting the issues of hypermobility and neurodivergence. Passionate about initiating the design of a School Toolkit for symptomatic hypermobility and voluntarily initiating it for other charities and intiatied the first peer reviewed Paper on Co-occurring health challenges for neurodivergent children in Education with coauthors B Donaghy and Dr D Moore.
Jane presented at the School Avoidance conference in the Netherlands with Dr Eccles and the Global Learning Conference in 2023 in Dublin.
Papers
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Co-Occurring Physical Health Challenges in Neurodivergent Children and Young People: A Topical Review and Recommendation Bethany  Donaghy,  David  Moore  &  Jane  Green  (2023),  Child Care in Practice,  29:1 ,  3-21,  DOI: 10.1080/13575279.2022.2149471
Awards & Achievements
2006
2019
2020
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South East Open University Regional Award and Adult Learner Award for outstanding achievement and dedication.
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Crawley Heroes Award – Winner
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BBC Surrey, Sussex, N Hants Carers Award – Commended
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Applause Awards – Lifetime Achievement/Stronger Together/Stronger Communities/Sports Awards
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Applause Awards – Lifetime Achievement/Stronger Together/Stronger Communities/Sports Awards
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Helpforce National Hero Award for covid work supporting others without a break in Sussex and nationally with DHSC and health groups
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Award from the High Sheriff of West Sussex – for outstanding activity and contribution to the community
2021
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​Awarded by Henry Smith MP - Crawley Coronavirus Community Champion for outstanding support in our community during Covid 2020 and helping save live
2022
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AK Autism Heroes Awards for best support group and the People's Awards
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The Platinum Champions Award for outstanding contribution as a volunteer in the year of Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee
2023
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In the 2023 New Year Honours, Jane was awarded an MBE for voluntary services to neurodivergent people (autistic, dyspraxic, ADHD, Tourette’s syndrome) and those with related joint hypermobility syndromes including Ehlers-Danlos syndromes.