As we head into the holidays Aniesa wanted to explore stress and what is referred to as allostasis. She explores the concept of the allostatic load and the impact this has on the body in both the short term and long term. Aniesa also discusses the role things like sleep and trauma can play in how we manage and cope with stress. Importantly, Aniesa talks about how we can all learn to manage our stress levels and take ownership of minimising the impact as much as possible. KEY TAKEAWAYS Allostasis is the process of trying to achieve stability through physiological or behavioural change. This is usually in response to stress. Your allostatic load is your chronic exposure to fluctuating and increased stress levels. Stress produces a spike in adrenaline and after this initial spike, the body and you relax. But this cycle of high and low adrenaline has an impact on your body. There is an elevated risk of chronic disease and mental health disorders from those who have long-term elevated stress levels. There is a very strong connection between your allostatic load and things such as your class, finances, living situation and perceived discrimination. Sleep, exercise and a balanced diet are simple but can help your body manage stress. If we can take ownership of managing our stress and learn what works for us as individuals to manage stress then we can lessen the impact it has on us. BEST MOMENTS "It’s self-regulating so we’re trying to keep this constant state while we are under stress” “This constant continued strain is really going to compromise your immune function” “That’s going to affect your overall lifespan, your cognitive function and your well-being” “There’s a real strong association between your allostatic load and your social demographic characteristics” “We need to be proactive in managing our stress, we need to stay informed” CONTACT METHODwww.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 pediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of pediatric 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.

Aniesa explores the reasons behind camouflaging, which has three categories: compensation, masking and assimilation. Aniesa talks about what these can look like, why so many neurodivergent people feel the need to camouflage and talks about how we can demystify and educate everyone on camouflaging. KEY TAKEAWAYS Masking is essentially changing your personality and natural way of being to fit in, to be perceived as neurotypical. Camouflaging in the natural world is an evolutionary trait that has developed to help creatures protect themselves which is why it lends itself so well as a descriptor of neurodivergent masking. Neurodivergents are trying to camouflage themselves alongside neurotypicals, to go undetected, seen as ‘normal’ and appropriate. Camouflaging can be a way to avoid feeling the shame often attached to neurodiversity. There are consequences for camouflaging, from burnout to feeling anxious. Those who are neurodivergent learn that they get a negative reaction from being themselves. Many feel like if they don’t mask they will be excluded and isolated. Assimilation is masking on a higher level, you create untrue versions of yourself, usually multiple ones depending on who you are with. BEST MOMENTS "We’re really talking about changing our natural personalities so that we can fit” “I like the idea of camouflaging as a word as it’s a really strong tactic” “The consequences of camouflaging are huge, they are so detrimental” “When you’re compensating you’re trying to keep up with others socially but when your masking you’re hiding key aspects of yourself, just so you can fit in” “We all mask every single day” CONTACT METHODwww.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 pediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of pediatric 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.

Aniesa is joined by Archie in this episode to talk about what is frequently called the 8th sense, interoception. Interoception is associated with everything from pain sensitivity to decision making and Aniesa and Archie discuss why struggles with its regulation are associated with neurodivergence and the common challenges it often presents. KEY TAKEAWAYS Your interoception is there to show you when your body has needs such as thirst but it is also there to show you when you are angry, for example. If an individual struggles with their interoception physical body needs signals, then that will impact their emotional regulation. Being able to identify your emotions is an essential step in being able to self-regulate. Attention and detection are the two ways we can tap into our interoception. Interoception is personal, it is something that you can learn about yourself and teach yourself what things impact you. Your body is constantly trying to reach homeostasis, to be balanced. Trauma can hinder or even stop interoceptive awareness, neurodivergent people almost always experience trauma and this could explain why they have difficulties with interoceptive awareness. When a person becomes overwhelmed, their interoception becomes so low they can no longer regulate their emotions. Your interoceptive awareness is positively linked with social connectivity. BEST MOMENTS "Interoception is strongly related to our emotional state” “Until your interoception is fully developed you’re going to find it really difficult to manage your emotions and social interactions” “He would try to regulate the kids when he wasn’t regulated” “What is it that I am feeling, why am I feeling that way?” “As a neurodivergent person, you experience trauma and that is going to lower or stop your interoceptive awareness” “People with interoceptive issues are likely to have a higher baseline of anxiety” CONTACT METHODwww.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 pediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of pediatric 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.

Aniesa interviews Archie about sensory processing and how it impacts kids and people with neurodiverse conditions. They explore the different senses like touch, movement, and sound, and how over or under-responsiveness to stimuli can affect learning, behaviour, and emotional regulation. KEY TAKEAWAYS The vestibular system impacts balance and spatial orientation, located in the inner ear Proprioceptors provide feedback from joints and muscles, helping with body awareness Tactile input like deep pressure can calm and self-regulate Sensory needs change day to day depending on factors like stress or nutrition Tuning into your own sensory profile allows self-advocacy Sensory processing differences are very individualised BEST MOMENTS "I will often just sing what I’m doing, or I’ll just make up songs and sing all the time." "Your reactivity can vary...what works today might not work tomorrow." "You learn when you are happy and relaxed and regulated." "Sitting still is for me, personally, cognitively, a very hard thing." "Proprioception is your like your player of the match." "They have no restrictions in that 40 to 60 minutes of a lesson. And yet we're saying to the learners, sit still for an hour." "I skirt the edge of professionalism."CONTACT METHODwww.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 pediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of pediatric 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.

Whilst Aniesa has been travelling in South America, including hiking the Inca trail and being in the Amazon jungle, she reflected on all the things she is grateful for. In this episode, she shares the top three things she is grateful for in life and talks about why connection is a pillar for regulation in all areas of life. KEY TAKEAWAYS Aniesa’s Top 3 Things to be Grateful for: Running drinkable water Every one of her senses, her sensory systems and having her interoceptive awareness Human connection Having a shared goal can help you make a quick and strong connection with someone The trip was one of the hardest things Aniesa has done and she realised she needs other people to co-regulate BEST MOMENTS “I didn’t realise just how much I depended and needed being able to just drink water straight from a tap” “The ability to just remove oneself and just go somewhere we can allow ourselves to feel grounded, to have the silence” “I realised just how important having a good interoceptive system is” “I absolutely realised in each place…how important connection is to me”CONTACT METHODwww.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 pediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of pediatric 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.

Join Aniesa and Sensory Intergration Physiotherapist Mel King as they chat to Elmien about her vestibular disorder. Elmien talks about the journey to her diagnosis and her experience of living with debilitating migraines, vertigo, and balance issues for years. She provides a revealing look into the daily struggles of living with chronic vertigo and migraines, but also discusses the importance of pushing forward one step at a time. KEY TAKEAWAYS Elmien has had chronic migraines and vertigo since age 10, exacerbated after recent jaw surgery. Her symptoms are disabling, affecting vision, hearing, balance, motion sickness. She has trouble with activities like driving, reading, using stairs, loud noises, bright lights, crowds, and head movements. This has impacted her independence. Despite her challenges, she has adjusted her occupational therapy practice to continue working with patients who need her specialised understanding. She feels greater empathy now for children with sensory processing disorders and their overwhelmed feelings. Elmien emphasises taking things one step at a time and being kind to oneself and others facing difficulties. Her experience shows the all-encompassing effects vestibular disorders can have on daily living. BEST MOMENTS "It feels as if the walls are falling onto you. It’s literally you walk into a place and everything topples over on the front." "I have much more empathy for my children, like my children on the spectrum, ADHD children, children who are sensitive." "Independence has gone out the door. Yeah. Yeah. Wow." "Talking is my thing. And I can still do talking while I sit down, so that's okay." "If there's awareness, we can help each other."CONTACT METHODwww.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 pediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of pediatric 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.

Aniesa and Archie chat about things they wish they knew as neurodivergent kids before getting their diagnosis, such as wishing they knew it was normal to react differently to their environments, not having to justify everything, taking time to process before responding and more. They open up and share their thoughtful reflections on growing up neurodivergent and give some great advice for neurodivergent kids (and their parents!) today. KEY TAKEAWAYS I wish I knew my reactions were normal for neurodivergent people, not that something was "wrong" with me. I wish I hadn't assumed what others thought of me or took things so personally (RSD). I wish I knew it was okay to have lots of hobbies and interests, not feeling bad when I got bored of one. I wish adults admitted to making mistakes rather than acting like they were always right. I wish I was comfortable expressing myself the way I truly was and felt I wish I knew I'd be okay as an adult and not to worry so much as a kid. BEST MOMENTS  "I wish I'd known my reactions were normal for a neurodivergent person, not that something was wrong with me." "I wish I hadn't assumed what others thought of me or took things so personally. "I wish adults admitted making mistakes rather than acting like they were always right." "I wish I was comfortable expressing myself publicly through singing, answering in songs, etc."CONTACT METHODwww.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 pediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of pediatric 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.

The theory of monotropism suggests there is an autistic-specific tendency to focus attention on a small number of interests. It is a big part of modern autism theory and Archie joins Aniesa to talk in depth about what it is and what it means for those with autism including the difficulties it can present and why it can also be a strength. KEY TAKEAWAYS In a monotropic mind, fewer interests can be aroused at one time but each interest is delved into more deeply. This can require more resources from the individual and make it hard to deal with things outside of these interests. Many autistic children have great difficulty transitioning and this would fit into the theory that it’s very difficult for a monotropic mind to switch out of the topic or task they are in. Being able to put so much attention and focus into one thing may explain why people who are autistic are so good at pattern recognition and problem-solving. Hyperfixation and ‘time blindness’ would also be explained by the state of flow those with a neurodivergent mind get into. Finding a way to transition between tasks more easily can help a neurodivergent mind, for example, getting a snack is a simple way to break out of a fixated state. Monotropism can be utilised to help neurodivergent minds be productive, pick just one thing to do per day and focus on it. The double empathy problem is the misunderstanding that can occur by those who see the world differently from most. This can result in a lot of communication barriers and frustration on both sides. BEST MOMENTS "This theory can explain a lot of things, it has autistic people in mind” “It can potentially explain why we are geared towards pattern spotting and problem solving” “A common tendency when hyperfixating is ignoring the bodies needs” “For a lot of neurodivergent people productivity can be an uphill struggle”CONTACT METHODwww.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 pediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of pediatric 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.

Archie joins Aniesa to discuss RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria), the extreme emotional sensitivity or pain which is triggered by the perception that they are being rejected or criticised by important people in their life. It can also come into play when they feel like they have failed to meet their own, or others, expectations. They talk about how RSD presents, what the experience feels like and whether RSD is specific to ADHD including what other conditions or issues can present in a similar way. KEY TAKEAWAYS RSD is often linked to ADHD but trauma can present in the same way. Individuals with RSD can feel a lot of shame when they are given feedback or criticism. RSD isn’t recognised as a mental disorder or illness, which can make people feel like it isn’t actually happening to them and feed into imposter syndrome. Difficulty with emotional regulation is a major indicator of ADHD and RSD only impacts this further with intense and overwhelming emotions. Individuals can become consumed, almost hyperfocused, on behaviour that they perceive to be rejection. Justice sensitivity is a feature of RSD, individuals are more attuned to justice for victims. It can be very distressing to experience but can also make very good advocates. RSD comes with very high standards that are usually impossible to achieve, impacting self-esteem. The fear of rejection can sometimes actually mean an individual with RSD will put up with a lot of bad behaviour before reprimanding someone, it can take a lot for them to see the ‘bad’ in people. Genetics and the brain’s structure are thought to be the biggest cause and indicator of RSD. BEST MOMENTS "For people with RSD, these universal life experiences are much more severe than for neurotypical individuals” “For me when I’m in conversation with someone my main objective is how do I agree with this person which is so annoying because I’m never going to agree with everybody” “The RSD is so strong, sometimes at its strongest just because you are alone” “Then you have a whole family of people who are always seriously second-guessing themselves”CONTACT METHODwww.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 pediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of pediatric 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.

Aniesa is joined by Archie again but this time to discuss alexithymia: the inability to identify and describe emotions in oneself. They explore the spectrum of alexithymia, how it impacts interoception, and share strategies like tapping into bodily cues, surrounding yourself with understanding people, and using tools like journals and voice memos to help identify emotions. Aniesa and Archie have an insightful conversation about how this lesser-known trait manifests in neurodiverse people and provide compassionate perspectives on embracing all feelings. KEY TAKEAWAYS Alexithymia is difficulty understanding emotions in yourself, ranging from struggling to express emotions to not identifying them at all. It impacts interoception - knowing what's going on inside your body. Confusion can occur between positive and negative emotions. Strategies include using bodily cues, journals, voice memos to identify patterns and name emotions. Surround yourself with accepting people, say "I don't know what I'm feeling," and give yourself time to grow your emotion vocabulary. All emotions are okay, be compassionate with yourself. Emotions are not always controllable, and that's okay too. BEST MOMENTS "Alexithymia could be I struggle to know how I feel but I recognize that I feel quite anxious sometimes and I can't quite unearth the emotions underneath that." "When you grow up, you get the words to describe how you're feeling. It just takes some time." "I think also not being afraid to say, I don't know what I'm feeling is, is really useful for yourself, but also the people who, who, who care about you." "It took me a while to learn that sometimes my emotions are just out of my control. And I think that's, um, that is, is, is a hard, a hard thing to learn and to accept." CONTACT METHODwww.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 pediatrics and sensory processing and integration. She has worked across a range of pediatric 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.