Keira Ritchie

“Get A-Head!” is a fun, educational board game that can be implemented in the classroom that helps kids aged between 7 and 10 learn about different Neurodiverse conditions in the brain. The 7 different conditions that the game focuses on includes Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia & Dyscalculia, Neurological Tic Disorder, Sensory Processing Disorder, Epilepsy and Dyspraxia.

At primary school, children are very open and accepting of differences and it’s not until they reach secondary school and enter their early years of adolescence that they start to become influenced by negative, external factors such as older relatives with outdated views, social media influencers that are uneducated on these topics or older siblings that make offensive jokes about differences to get a reaction from friends. These negative external factors can sadly lead to bullying for many Neurodivergent children.

By introducing awareness at an earlier stage in life at a young age, in a safe environment such as the classroom, we can avoid children becoming influenced by these negative factors later on in life and create more awareness and acceptance for Neurodiverse kids.

I hope to help teach young children about both their own brains and their friends’ brains too and how they can all function differently. I’d also love to be able to help teachers recognise some of the signs that could help children be diagnosed at an earlier stage in their lives that could help them get the support they need growing up too!