Aniesa draws on a recent experience with her son. She had a very tough day and her son came home to find her very upset and in a state of overwhelm. It made her re-recognise the importance of children seeing their parents, caregivers and other adults experience real emotions and in this episode she explores why this is.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• When your child is sad, don’t tell them to not be sad. It’s better to let them experience and feel their emotions and instead offer them support, either by asking if they want to talk about it or simply letting them know you are there if they need you.

• It’s important that we validate our children emotions so that they learn to feel them in a healthy way.

• We need to be role models for our children. So be honest when you are feeling a big emotion and model the right way of dealing with it. 

• Make sure you speak to your children, about their feelings, their emotions and reassure them that it’s ok to be sad.

BEST MOMENTS 

“How important is it for us to validate our kids emotions?”

“I think it’s really important that we are role models”

“Regulate, then relate, then reason”

“The whole idea that boys can’t cry is so outdated”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

CONTACT METHOD

www.instagram.com/aniesabblore/          
www.instagram.com/sensationalkidstherapyuk/   
www.facebook.com/sensationalkidslondon

ABOUT THE HOST

Aniesa completed her degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Stellenbosch, in South Africa. She has since been focusing on paediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of paediatric fields and has extensive experience in autism, specific learning difficulties, as well as anxiety and emotional regulation. 

Aniesa has one teenage son with autism, and one with sensory difficulties. She herself was diagnosed at a late age as having ADHD and has found that understanding her neurodivergence has led to a greater connection with children and their parents. 

CONTACT METHOD

https://calendly.com/playhealing/callwithdebi?month=2022-03

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's episode of The Sensational Kids Show, Aniesa is joined by Wellbeing Specialist and Mental Health Expert Giselle Monbiot. They discuss anxiety in kids and teenagers, the movement towards expressing emotions and how forming attachments between parent and child is crucial to treating mental health issues.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• There's an awful lot of anxiety in kids and teenagers in school, specifically in those that are possibly a bit more introverted and cannot be put into a particular box.

• As adults today, often we're raised not to express our feelings when we're worried or anxious and there isn't an outlet. Nowadays there needs to be a much bigger movement towards getting children talking.

• Anxiety comes out in sensations, It comes out in thoughts and fear with unique triggers that the body responds to. But what is useful is when you can understand anxiety on a physiologically level and that it's simply a protection mechanism.
  
  

• Forming an attachment with your child is crucial because you're then able to help to develop their behaviour through trust and communication. An attachment can become a stress reliever as the body will hold onto trauma and stress.

BEST MOMENTS 

“I've developed techniques and tools to help dig into what the root cause of a wellbeing or mental health issue is and enable that person to release it.” 

“I've mentored a lot of boys who have experienced immense traumas and they've been carrying the responsibility of experiences that have nothing to do with them.” 

“Anxiety is a protection mechanism protecting you from a perceived threat.” 

“The teenage brain is absolutely fascinating.”

“There's a huge importance in reattaching for your children.”

CONTACT METHOD

www.instagram.com/aniesabblore/          
www.instagram.com/sensationalkidstherapyuk/   
www.facebook.com/sensationalkidslondon

ABOUT THE HOST

Aniesa completed her degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Stellenbosch, in South Africa. She has since been focusing on paediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of paediatric fields and has extensive experience in autism, specific learning difficulties, as well as anxiety and emotional regulation. 

Aniesa has one teenage son with autism, and one with sensory difficulties. She herself was diagnosed at a late age as having ADHD and has found that understanding her neurodivergence has led to a greater connection with children and their parents. 

ABOUT THE GUEST

Giselle Monbiot is a Wellbeing Specialist and Mental Health Support expert enabling organizations to integrate wellbeing and mental health support for a productive, motivated and thriving workforce. She develops, facilitates and embeds wellbeing programmes for companies who care about the wellbeing and mental health of their workforce. Creating a thriving culture with improved productivity, motivation and unity.

CONTACT METHOD

https://gisellemonbiot.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of The Sensational Kids Show, Aniesa discusses our eighth sense, interoception. Learn how to tune into interoception to better understand your body, your emotions and what you need to do to stay healthy and in a positive mindset. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• It can be hard for some kids to just adapt to that change and often they can't quite explain how or what they're feeling. 

• Our eighth sense is called interoception. You have your functional senses, which use your sight, smell, taste, hearing and vision but interoception allows us to feel our internal organs and our skin and it will give us information about our internal state and the condition of our body.

• Interoception gives you clues about your emotions and what your body needs to succeed, it tells you about your breathing and muscles which is linked to how you feel emotionally. 

BEST MOMENTS 

“Interoception gives us information about our internal state or the condition of our body.”

Rather than thinking of interoception as just feelings from our internal organs, it's the sense of the entire condition about the inner body.”

“Your vestibular is your balance or your sense of movement, and then your proprioception is your body awareness.” 

CONTACT METHOD

www.instagram.com/aniesabblore/          
www.instagram.com/sensationalkidstherapyuk/   
www.facebook.com/sensationalkidslondon

ABOUT THE HOST

Aniesa completed her degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Stellenbosch, in South Africa. She has since been focusing on paediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of paediatric fields and has extensive experience in autism, specific learning difficulties, as well as anxiety and emotional regulation. 

Aniesa has one teenage son with autism, and one with sensory difficulties. She herself was diagnosed at a late age as having ADHD and has found that understanding her neurodivergence has led to a greater connection with children and their parents.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Aniesa as she discusses ADHD and how it presents itself differently in girls, and women and how it is so often undiagnosed or missed. Understand the signs and symptoms to be able to spot ADHD, how to overcome the gender bias and the different coping strategies to help a child with ADHD focus.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Why do boys often get diagnosed with ADHD and girls don't? At school, boys are presented differently, as overactive and boisterous. Studies have shown a gender bias towards diagnosing ADHD in boys and other girls, even when the same symptoms have been displayed.
  
  
• Boys score the highest for learning difficulties or learning problems, hyperactivity, impulsivity and in-attention compared to the girls. However, girls also display these symptoms but they will always be compared to the boys first.

• ADHD can present itself differently, one of the main signs is a lack of impulse control but among girls who are verbally impulsive, over-emotional and easily excitable ADHD can also be a driving factor behind girls behaviour.

• Hyper-focus can be used as a coping strategy to help to curb the times when a child feels as if they have no control over themselves.

BEST MOMENTS

“I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 42 and despite working with those who have it, I never saw it in myself.”

“There is a gender bias, which means that girls don't get diagnosed.”

“If a girl is always in motion or hyperactive, we might say that she is boyish or tomboy because she loves physical activities, but it's not typically what girls do.”

CONTACT METHOD

www.instagram.com/aniesabblore/          
www.instagram.com/sensationalkidstherapyuk/   
www.facebook.com/sensationalkidslondon

ABOUT THE HOST

Aniesa completed her degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Stellenbosch, in South Africa. She has since been focusing on paediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of paediatric fields and has extensive experience in autism, specific learning difficulties, as well as anxiety and emotional regulation.

Aniesa has one teenage son with autism, and one with sensory difficulties. She herself was diagnosed at a late age as having ADHD and has found that understanding her neurodivergence has led to a greater connection with children and their parents.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's episode of The Sensational Kids Show, Aniesa gives you some ideas of things you can ask your kids after school. How to engage with them and ask questions that lead to more meaningful conversations that give your child the opportunity to express their feelings and emotions. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• As adults, we can be pretty annoying and it needs to be acceptable for children to be able to identify and vocalise anyone in a position of authority that annoys them. No feelings are wrong or incorrect. 

• Show them that passion that you have for what you do so that your children can learn when they say something about their day they can express their emotions without feeling judged. 

• Asking questions, showing interest and having those questions lead to meaningful conversations with your children is one way to connect and engage with your child and allows them to express themselves.

BEST MOMENTS 

“Questions I ask them are things such as. What makes you happy or sad?, What do you struggle with? What do you want to get better at? And what do you want to be one day?”

“I really love this part of the assessment because it really gives me an insight into how the kids think about themselves.”

“Then try and change it up a little bit, try and change the questions that you're asking them and you might be surprised at some of the answers that you get.”

CONTACT METHOD

www.instagram.com/aniesabblore/          
www.instagram.com/sensationalkidstherapyuk/   
www.facebook.com/sensationalkidslondon

ABOUT THE HOST

Aniesa completed her degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Stellenbosch, in South Africa. She has since been focusing on paediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of paediatric fields and has extensive experience in autism, specific learning difficulties, as well as anxiety and emotional regulation. 

Aniesa has one teenage son with autism, and one with sensory difficulties. She herself was diagnosed at a late age as having ADHD and has found that understanding her neurodivergence has led to a greater connection with children and their parents. 

ABOUT THE GUEST

David Robson is an award-winning science writer specialising in the extremes of the human brain, body and behaviour.

After graduating with a degree in mathematics from Cambridge University, he worked as a features editor at New Scientist for five years, before moving to BBC Future, where he was a senior journalist for five years. His writing has also appeared in the Guardian, the Atlantic, Aeon, Men's Health and many more outlets. In 2021, David received awards from the Association of British Science Writers and the UK Medical Journalists' Association for his writing on misinformation and risk communication during the COVID pandemic.

CONTACT METHOD

https://davidrobson.me/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you experienced Empty Nest Syndrome? Join Aniesa as she discusses the feelings, emotions and emptiness you can feel when your children grow up, leave and become less dependent on you. Learn how to overcome Empty Nest Syndrome, how you can fill your diary with new hobbies and why acknowledging your feelings is essential to putting yourself first. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• Empty nest syndrome is a phenomenon in which parents experience feelings of sadness and loss when the last child leaves home. Although you might actively encourage your children to become independent, the experience of letting go can be painful.

• To overcome empty nest syndrome you need to make sure to plan your schedule and to have things in your diary because conquering it can be a massive battle. Get a hobby, invest in yourself and put yourself first.

• Identifying and acknowledging your feelings will help you to deal with empty nest syndrome. 

• Often with children, you have a routine and when they leave the routine is broken, however, this can give you the opportunity to be spontaneous, to connect with friends without worrying about the parenting responsibilities and to be impulsive. 

BEST MOMENTS 

“When your kids become teenagers, it's almost like you don't see them anymore.”

“Invest in yourself because one day your kids do leave and they become far less dependent on you.”

“Everything he owns is going up to his room, which has the space for it.”

CONTACT METHOD

www.instagram.com/aniesabblore/          
www.instagram.com/sensationalkidstherapyuk/   
www.facebook.com/sensationalkidslondon

ABOUT THE HOST

Aniesa completed her degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Stellenbosch, in South Africa. She has since been focusing on paediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of paediatric fields and has extensive experience in autism, specific learning difficulties, as well as anxiety and emotional regulation. 

Aniesa has one teenage son with autism, and one with sensory difficulties. She herself was diagnosed at a late age as having ADHD and has found that understanding her neurodivergence has led to a greater connection with children and their parents. 

ABOUT THE GUEST

David Robson is an award-winning science writer specialising in the extremes of the human brain, body and behavior.

After graduating with a degree in mathematics from Cambridge University, he worked as a features editor at New Scientist for five years, before moving to BBC Future, where he was a senior journalist for five years. His writing has also appeared in the Guardian, the Atlantic, Aeon, Men's Health and many more outlets. In 2021, David received awards from the Association of British Science Writers and the UK Medical Journalists' Association for his writing on misinformation and risk communication during the COVID pandemic.

CONTACT METHOD

https://davidrobson.me/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aniesa is joined by award-winning author and behavioural specialist, David Robson. Together they discuss the instinct of parents, the role teachers play in our children's lives and how you help your child connect, achieve and navigate.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• Teachers have so much pressure to perform and to deliver lessons it's hard for them to prioritise the emotional needs of their pupils, it's the awareness of mental health that needs to be addressed as part of the teacher's remit. 

• You've got instinct as a parent, you know when something's just not right and you will notice the subtle but significant difficulties your child may have with their development but wouldn't get a  diagnosis. 

• Connection is the most important and it's not just about connecting with your child but about parents connecting with themselves too. Once you can successfully connect, you can then achieve.

• Achieving means working on your child's underlying skills so that they can be successful in their daily lives.

• Navigating is about approaching the ‘tricky' situations in your child's life and building a foundation for their success. 

BEST MOMENTS 

“Our vision it's to empower kids and to connect, achieve and navigate because we believe that every child can achieve through high-quality occupational therapy.”

“There's young people's mental health but there's also the mental health of the teachers as well.”

“We all as parents think we should be doing more, but actually we are.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://davidrobson.me/

CONTACT METHOD

www.instagram.com/aniesabblore/          
www.instagram.com/sensationalkidstherapyuk/   
www.facebook.com/sensationalkidslondon

ABOUT THE HOST

Aniesa completed her degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Stellenbosch, in South Africa. She has since been focusing on paediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of paediatric fields and has extensive experience in autism, specific learning difficulties, as well as anxiety and emotional regulation. 

Aniesa has one teenage son with autism, and one with sensory difficulties. She herself was diagnosed at a late age as having ADHD and has found that understanding her neurodivergence has led to a greater connection with children and their parents. 

ABOUT THE GUEST

David Robson is an award-winning science writer specialising in the extremes of the human brain, body and behaviour.

After graduating with a degree in mathematics from Cambridge University, he worked as a features editor at New Scientist for five years, before moving to BBC Future, where he was a senior journalist for five years. His writing has also appeared in the Guardian, the Atlantic, Aeon, Men's Health and many more outlets. In 2021, David received awards from the Association of British Science Writers and the UK Medical Journalists' Association for his writing on misinformation and risk communication during the COVID pandemic.

CONTACT METHOD

https://davidrobson.me/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Aniesa as she explores and explains the four parenting attachment styles and how attachment theory can impact parenting and the development of your child into adult life. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• As a parent, your presence is designed to make your child feel loved, safe, secure and protected and this leads to attachment. Attachment theory is how parents respond to their child's needs. 
• Attachment styles are working models of how our relationships function and how they are formed early on in our lives. If we can understand our relationships better, we stand a better chance of changing any negative aspects and just increasing the positive by accentuating the positive.
• There are four types of attachment styles secure, anxious-ambivalent, disorganised and avoidant.
• What we should all aim for is to be able to provide a really secure childhood attachment so that our kids can move on, feel secure and have really successful, fulfilling and intimate reciprocal relationships as adults. 

BEST MOMENTS 

“When you think about connecting with your child, it's not always as simple as an instant bond.”

“We learn through our experiences through our mistakes and our achievements.”

“High-risk psychosocial groups tend to develop disorganized, insecure attachment styles that display atypical behaviour.”

“Avoidant, dismissive and insecure attachments lead to a child becoming self-reliant and they want to figure out by themselves.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

CONTACT METHOD

www.instagram.com/aniesabblore/          
www.instagram.com/sensationalkidstherapyuk/   
www.facebook.com/sensationalkidslondon

ABOUT THE HOST

Aniesa completed her degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Stellenbosch, in South Africa. She has since been focusing on paediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of paediatric fields and has extensive experience in autism, specific learning difficulties, as well as anxiety and emotional regulation. 

Aniesa has one teenage son with autism, and one with sensory difficulties. She herself was diagnosed at a late age as having ADHD and has found that understanding her neurodivergence has led to a greater connection with children and their parents. 

ABOUT THE GUEST

Debi John, play consultant, and author of the PAUSE, PLAY, CONNECTⓇ Flow, is a passionate advocate about championing and integrating the power of play into our incredibly busy lives.

Drawing from over 20 years of professional experience in safeguarding, education, and the creative arts, Debi prides herself in not prescribing exactly how to parent. There is not a ‘one-size-fit's-all' approach. She facilitates far-reaching, empowering, evidence-based discussions for parents to embrace the power of play their way.

CONTACT METHOD

https://calendly.com/playhealing/callwithdebi?month=2022-03

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kids love teaching! In today's show, Aniesa shares why kids love to teach and how it benefits their development. Discover why letting kids teach others will help with their planning, sequencing and directional skills. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• Kids teaching improves their planning skills, their sequencing and how well they can describe and explain their actions. 

• Allowing kids the opportunity to teach and instruct can really help them develop their ability to give directions and to explain themselves. This helps them articulate themselves and also helps them also understand what it is that they're trying to do.

• Teaching can help with making the child aware of what it is they are actively doing and how they can put that into words or how they can explain that to someone else. Kids love the idea that they can help someone and they can help someone progress and learn.

BEST MOMENTS 

“It's empowering for adults to ask children to teach us something.”

“Teaching can be used as a game to help kids verbalise their ideas in a clear step-by-step way.”

“Getting kids teaching can really boost their confidence.”

“Kids absolutely love teaching. They love showing us what to do. 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

CONTACT METHOD

www.instagram.com/aniesabblore/          
www.instagram.com/sensationalkidstherapyuk/   
www.facebook.com/sensationalkidslondon

ABOUT THE HOST

Aniesa completed her degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Stellenbosch, in South Africa. She has since been focusing on paediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of paediatric fields and has extensive experience in autism, specific learning difficulties, as well as anxiety and emotional regulation. 

Aniesa has one teenage son with autism, and one with sensory difficulties. She herself was diagnosed at a late age as having ADHD and has found that understanding her neurodivergence has led to a greater connection with children and their parents. 

ABOUT THE GUEST

Debi John, play consultant, and author of the PAUSE, PLAY, CONNECTⓇ Flow, is a passionate advocate about championing and integrating the power of play into our incredibly busy lives.

Drawing from over 20 years of professional experience in safeguarding, education, and the creative arts, Debi prides herself in not prescribing exactly how to parent. There is not a ‘one-size-fits-all' approach. She facilitates far-reaching, empowering, evidence-based discussions for parents to embrace the power of play their way.

CONTACT METHOD

https://calendly.com/playhealing/callwithdebi?month=2022-03

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's episode of The Sensational Kids show, Aniesa explores strategies for treating proprioception difficulties, our adaptive system and suggested some activities for how to help develop kids who are under-responsive or over-responsive. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• In terms of proprioception, you can be under-responsive or over-responsive, and it's really going to impact your movement, your motor functioning and your motor output. 

• Somatosensory dyspraxia and your postural disorders are super important for proprioception. As an adult, you need to think about whether you use too much or too little force? And how you're able to maintain posture when conducting different tasks. 

• Our adaptive system allows us to move around a room. For kids, challenges such as navigating an obstacle course are going to help develop those gross motor skills and be able to do things that are perhaps more complex from a fine motor skill point of view.

• Our proprioceptors are located in our joints and our muscles, and that's going to tell us where our body parts are in relation to us and how much force they need to apply to any given task

BEST MOMENTS 

“Your adaptive system automatically adjusts your body and manipulates you to do what you need to do.” 

“If you use too little force, then you're not going to be successful. So kids who write lightly are grading forces all of the time.”

“When you have kids who are under-responsive, what you'll find is that they might lean constantly because they can't physically hold themselves upright.”

“If your body is not processing all of the perceptive input, your movements are going to be really uncoordinated”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

CONTACT METHOD

www.instagram.com/aniesabblore/          
www.instagram.com/sensationalkidstherapyuk/   
www.facebook.com/sensationalkidslondon

ABOUT THE HOST

Aniesa completed her degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Stellenbosch, in South Africa. She has since been focusing on paediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of paediatric fields and has extensive experience in autism, specific learning difficulties, as well as anxiety and emotional regulation. 

Aniesa has one teenage son with autism, and one with sensory difficulties. She herself was diagnosed at a late age as having ADHD and has found that understanding her neurodivergence has led to a greater connection with children and their parents. 

ABOUT THE GUEST

Debi John, play consultant, and author of the PAUSE, PLAY, CONNECTⓇ Flow, is a passionate advocate about championing and integrating the power of play into our incredibly busy lives.

Drawing from over 20 years of professional experience in safeguarding, education, and the creative arts, Debi prides herself in not prescribing exactly how to parent. There is not a ‘one-size-fits-all' approach. She facilitates far-reaching, empowering, evidence-based discussions for parents to embrace the power of play their way.

CONTACT METHOD

https://calendly.com/playhealing/callwithdebi?month=2022-03

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.