11/20 EDS and Seizures with Chloe Shwartz

This Tuesday, the Duke Neurodiversity Advocates (DNA) are hosting a conversation on Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), sensory overload, and nervous system regulation, featuring Duke student Chloe Schwartz, who lives with EDS and a seizure disorder.

EDS is often misunderstood as “just being flexible.” In reality, it is a connective tissue disorder that affects pain processing, autonomic regulation, proprioception, and sensory integration. For many neurodivergent and chronically ill students, this means that everyday environments - bright lights, noise, crowds, prolonged sitting or standing, and stress - can trigger symptoms that go far beyond discomfort.

This event will focus on the common misconceptions surrounding EDS, how it intersects with neurodivergence and neurological conditions, and why sensory overload can escalate quickly and unpredictably in people with connective tissue and autonomic disorders. Chloe will help ground the discussion with lived perspective, but the emphasis is on understanding the condition rather than individual experience.

We’ll talk about:

• What EDS actually is (and is not), and why flexibility alone is a misleading framing

• How connective tissue differences affect the nervous system, pain perception, and sensory processing

• Why sensory overload in EDS can become medically significant rather than simply overwhelming

• The overlap between EDS, seizure disorders, dysautonomia, and neurodivergence

• Common ways EDS is misunderstood in academic and social settings

• What support looks like in practice - how peers, professors, and friends can help without minimizing or overstepping

Suggested readings:

• Bulbena, Antonio, et al. “Joint Hypermobility, Anxiety, and Sensory Sensitivity: The Role of Connective Tissue in Neuropsychiatric Vulnerability.” Frontiers in Psychiatry 8 (2017): 239.

• Eccles, Jessica A., et al. “Brain Structure and Joint Hypermobility: Relevance to Anxiety and Sensory Processing.” NeuroImage: Clinical 15 (2017): 47–56.

• Celletti, Chiara, and Andrea Camerota. “Autonomic Dysfunction and Chronic Pain in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.” American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C 175, no. 1 (2017): 168–174.

• Raj, Satish R. “Postural Tachycardia Syndrome and Sensory Intolerance.” Autonomic Neuroscience 215 (2018): 46–50.

• Fisher, Robert S., et al. “Reflex Seizures and Sensory Triggers.” Epilepsy & Behavior 88 (2018): 209–214.