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Amazing Senses, Westville (2026)

07/11/2023

Keep an eye out ♡
Something awesome will be coming soon

22/09/2023

One thing I think we can all agree on is that parenthood is hard. This journey is the hardest and most fulfilling I've been on.

I am very blessed to have a wonderful community of friends and family who love and support us. But even with this, I have found that the journey of a special needs parent is a very lonely one. For no matter how much love and support you get, no one, unless they have walked the same walk, will truly know how hard this journey can be.

There are days when you are absolutely defeated, broken, overstimulated, and exhausted. Where none of the things you know to do, help, work, or are even thought of. These are the days you feel lonelier than ever. The days you feel like you just can't do it anymore, like you aren't good enough, like it's all too much. The days where the "what ifs" & "what could've been" try to sneak into your thoughts. The days when the future seems so very unclear and scary. The hard days. The days that no one else sees but you.

I'm here to tell you, I see you and it's okay to have these days. These days are necessary for us to work through trauma and triggers and to truly process our own feelings. Don't let these days consume you. Don't let these days make you feel less than.

Tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow, you will start over. You will react better, you will cope better, you will regulate, and you will breathe. You will see things clearer.

I tend to lean deeper into Yahweh on days like these...

You are doing great ♡ I know these days are hard, but know that you are not alone. There are others who know what you are feeling, others that might have the same kind of day ♡

Tomorrow is a new day. Don't be too hard on yourself xx

28/08/2023

A reminder that Interoception affects:

- Self-awareness
- Problem solving
- Perspective taking
- Social understanding
- Flexible thinking
- Intuition
- Emotional & physical recognition and regulation

The part of the brain that controls Interoception is called The Insular Cortex. Research has shown that mindfulness, breath work, and meditation ACTIVELY impacts the insula.

Here's how to help you and your child improve Interoceptive awareness:

• Learning how to listen to the body through mindfulness and pilates/yoga (whichever is your preference)

• Breathwork exercises

• Heavy work/proprioceptive input. To help recognize how the body responds (heart rate, temp, etc)

• Meditation (whatever your definition of meditation is) Cadance Meditation has some amazing meditations for kids (and adults) https://www.cadencemeditation.co.za/product/emotions/

Here's to learning how to be more connected with ourselves and teaching our children ❤️😊

26/09/2022

WHAT IS PROPRIOCEPTIVE IMPAIRMENT?

It's where the brain is not properly processing the messages received through the muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons and connective tissue.

Proprioceptive impairment is usually accompanied by problems with the tactile and vestibular systems. It's very common for someone to only have tactile or vestibular problems, but it is less likely for a person to only have proprioceptive issues.

Both my boys have Proprioceptive impairment. Eli's is accompanied by his tactile difficulties and Noah's is due to him having an under developed vestibular system because of his Charge Syndrome.

There are various signs of proprioceptive impairment, they differ with each child. Over the next couple of days I will share some of the signs of proprioceptive impairment, how it affects my boys in daily life and what we do to help with proprioceptive input and difficulties.

It is important to note that I am not an OT or professional, I am a mom speaking from my experiences ♡♡

15/08/2022

PROPRIOCEPTION
(BODY AWARENESS)

Proprioception is the body's ability to understand where it is in space without looking. "This is where I am and this is what I am doing"

Not only does the proprioceptive sense provide information about the body's position, but also about the detailed qualities of the space we are in - it provides intake that helps integrate touch and movement.

EVERY SINGLE MOTOR TASK REQUIRES THE ACTIVATION OF, AND FEEDBACK FROM THE PROPRIOCEPTIVE SYSTEM.

The receptors for this amazing sense are situated in our muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons and connective tissue. And it works so closely with the Vestibular System because the stimuli for the above receptors are movement and gravity.

Through all the feedback the brain receives from the proprioceptive system, children learn how to judge force; direction; position; and speed of their movements...

Part 2 coming.

16/07/2022

VESTIBULAR SENSE (Part 2)

What is Vestibular Dysfunction?

A person with Vestibular Dysfunction has difficulty processing information about movement, gravity, balance, and space.

The brain has difficulty processing sensations perceived through the inner ear.

My son, Noah, has a hearing impairment as well as a completely deformed Vestibular system in both inner ears.

He battles to sit upright for long periods of time and slumps when he sits. He also leans his head on his hands or arms when he is at the table. His tiny little body can be awkward, uncoordinated and clumsy at times. He falls often, tripping on air when he moves,bumps into everything, and loses his balance when he is moved even slightly off the center of gravity.

These are all signs of Vestibular Dysfunction. Eye movements are influenced by the Vestibular system and this may cause individuals to have visual problems. A dysfunctional vestibular system could cause inadequate gaze stability where the individual is unable to focus on moving objects or when objects are standing still while they are moving.

Many types of movement provide a calming effect to our brain. Someone with vestibular difficulties however, can't always calm down because their brain can't modulate vestibular messages.

The part in their brain that organises movement is either stuck "on" or “turned off”. Difficulty moving in an organised way can have a major impact on their behavior, attention and emotions.

A person with vestibular dysfunction may have one or more problems with the processing of movement sensation:

* be hypersensitive to movement and have an intolerance to movement and/or gravitational insecurity

* be hyposensitive to movement, with increased tolerance and a desire for constant movement.

01/07/2022

VESTIBULAR SENSE
(MOVEMENT & BALANCE)

The Vestibular Sense is one of my favorite to talk about. It tells us where our head and body is in relation to the surface of the earth. It's almost like our body's internal GPS.

This system takes in sensory messages from the neck, eyes and body; and sends these messages to our Central Nervous System for processing.

The Vestibular system tells us whether we are moving or standing still, or if objects are moving or motionless in relation to our body. It also informs us regarding the direction of movement and how fast we are moving.

The vestibular receptors are located in our inner ear. These receptors are almost like a carpenters level - they register EVERY movement and EVERY change in our head position no matter how subtle.

Movement helps us to regulate. Slow, rhythmic movements bring calm to our nervous system and lowers our arousal level. Where fast, intense and irregular movement wakes us up.

When we are fully engaged in physical activity, our brain releases endorphins - those feel good hormones that help regulate our move. It's important to note that the right type of movement will bring healing to your brain and body.

26/06/2022

TACTILE SENSE (PART 2)

Our tactile sense is crucial in telling us about our body's physical boundaries - where it starts and ends, and where the rest of the world begins.

Through touch we develop an internal map of our bodies which help us to interact with the world around us.

As a child early experiences of touch and being touched is so so important for survival; understanding the physical world; developing motor skills; regulating moods; and emotional well being.

Studies show that early touch play a vital role in development and positive emotional and mental stability.TOUCH LITERALLY KEEPS US FROM GOING CRAZY.

As a mom of a little one that had surgeries from 2 days old, I truly believe that touch brings healing. I also feel our hands need to always represent love, healing and support to our children and not trauma, fear and mistrust ❤

26/06/2022

My inspiration behind Amazing Senses, my two boys Eli and Noah.

Soon I will share a little bit about their story and the journey that brought me to creating Amazing Senses.

26/06/2022

TACTILE SENSE

Touch is our FIRST sense to develop inside the womb, and it's one of a baby's most advanced abilities at birth.

The Tactile System plays a huge part in determining physical, mental, and emotional behavior. From infancy onward each and every one of us NEED constant touch/tactile stimulation to keep us organized and functioning.

We receive tactile information from millions of sensory receiving cells (receptors) in our biggest organ, our skin.

Touch sensations of pressure, vibration, movement, temperature and pain activate our tactile receptors every time we are touched, touch someone or something. These receptors then send a message to our spinal cord and brain, which will then interpret the touch.

We are ALWAYS actively or passively touching something. Even when we are naked our feet are still touching the ground.

This makes our sense of touch a HUGE sensory system that not only gives us information for visual perception, motor planning and body awareness but also for learning academically, emotional security and social skills.

26/06/2022

DID YOU KNOW THAT WE HAVE 8 SENSES?

We are so beautifully and wonderfully created, the more I learn about our nervous system the more intrigued I am about how each intricate part of our being is created to work so perfectly together to make us who we are.

We have 8 amazing senses, each with their own specific function. It is important to understand these and know how they work together, as it is the foundation for healthy development.

There are 5 commonly known senses
• Touch
• Hearing
• Smell
• Vision
• Taste

And our hidden senses that operate with receptors INSIDE our bodies and are not commonly known

• Vestibular Sense (Balance) which is located in the inner ear
• Proprioception Sense (Body awareness) which is located in our muscles and joints.

These 2 work closely together to give us information about where our bodies are in space and how to move in a coordinate way.

Then we have our Introceptive Sense (internal organ sense) which is located in our internal organs and gives us information about what's going on inside our bodies.

All these senses work together and enable us to take in information from our bodies and the world around.

Amazing Senses

07/11/2023

22/09/2023

28/08/2023

26/09/2022

15/08/2022

16/07/2022

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