With our speakers Dr Rachel Gow and Dr Alex Richardson  

About this event

Join Dr Rachel Gow and Dr Alex Richardson from Food and Behaviour Research for this highly topical webinar, discussing ADHD, autism and other forms of neurodivergence and the growing SEND support crisis.

Dr Gow's expert presentation will examine why many children are being failed by systems that expect them to fit into environments not always designed for their needs. It will also explore how nutritionally impoverished school meals, food insecurity, ultra-processed diets and a lack of food education may contribute to difficulties with attention, learning, mood, behaviour and emotional regulation.

The session will consider how good food education and access to nourishing food are not optional extras, but essential foundations for helping all children access the curriculum and achieve their full potential.

Dr Gow will discuss the playground-to-prison pipeline and her Crime & Nourishment course, delivered to staff and learners at HMP Wandsworth, HMP Pentonville and HMP Belmarsh. Alongside researchers at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, Dr Gow examined menu choices over several weeks before and after the course, and assessed calorie and nutrient intakes of prison food to understand what an average £2.77 spend across three daily meals looked like in practice.

Dr Gow has long recognised and spoken publicly about how this pipeline, which can begin with detentions and progress to school exclusions, may be preventable.

This webinar will assess the evidence that nutrition could form part of a wider preventative approach - and ask whether by recognising individual differences and supporting children’s biological, emotional and educational needs, we can move towards more inclusive, preventative and compassionate approaches.