PANS PANDAS UK

Youth Advisory Board

Who are we?

We are a group of children and young people from across the UK, aged between 8 and 21 years old, who work closely with PANS PANDAS UK to drive for positive change for other young people and families affected by PANS and PANDAS.

“The Youth Board is a great place to share your story and use your knowledge to inspire others and see change.”

 

“I love working on so many exciting projects and having the chance to share my story with members of parliament and medical professionals.”

What do we do?

With online meetings every two months, we volunteer our time to numerous projects such as campaigning for change in policy, reviewing and contributing to new information resources, and sharing lived experiences in order to support other young people.

One of our recent projects:

“It is so amazing to hear other people’s stories, they are so similar to my own.”

Who can take part?

      • Anyone aged 10-21 who is affected by PANS or PANDAS.
      • Anyone who has a sibling or close relative with PANS or PANDAS
      • Anyone who believes they have PANS or PANDAS. (Confirmed diagnosis of PANS or PANDAS is not a requirement to take part).

Stock image of young person on a group call

“Having PANDAS is an extremely isolating experience. The group has helped me to feel less alone.”

How do I sign up?

We are always open for new applications to join the Youth Board. Anyone can apply, young people under the age of 18 will need parental or carer permission.

If you have any questions about the Youth Board, please contact
Katy Hindson, or…

“I have been on the Youth Board since 2022, and I feel as if I have grown in confidence since starting.”

Thank you to our current Youth Board members for helping to design this webpage and for sharing their experiences.

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Glossary

  • ADHD
    Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • AE
    Auto-immune Encephalitis
  • ARFID
    Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
  • ASD
    Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • CAMHS
    Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
  • CBT
    Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
  • Dysgraphia
    difficulty writing by hand
  • EHCP
    Education, Health and Care Plan
  • Emotional Lability
    Rapid, and dramatic changes in mood (for example uncontrollable laughter to crying)
  • Enuresis
    wetting
  • GAS
    Group A Streptococcal infection
  • NHSE
    NHS England
  • NICE
    National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
  • OCD
    Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  • PP
    PANS PANDAS
  • PPUK
    PANS PANDAS UK
  • PPN
    PANS Physicians Network
  • PPSG
    PANS PANDAS Steering Group
  • SENCo
    Special Educational Needs Coordinator
  • SIGN
    Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network to the glossary
  • Tic
    Sudden repetitive movement (motor tic) or sound (vocal tic) which is difficult or impossible to control