In this episode, Aniesa discusses the concept of optimal sensory engagement thresholds/bands. Aniesa explains what this means in real terms, giving clear examples and talks about what you can do to self-regulate and self-manage, including utilising external factors in your environment to help yourself in times of high stress and anxiety. Aniesa also talks about the role of masking, difficulty in making decisions and other challenges neurodiverse people may come across when outside of their optimal engagement band.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• A lot has been researched and written about the optimal band where we function our best.
• Each day we process various neuro-functions registering and detecting sensations and how we respond to them including self-regulation and we all have a threshold.
• When things aren’t going well you may feel anxious, distracted, stressed and have trouble sleeping or have attentional difficulties.
• If we are in a state of stress or high arousal then it can be challenging for us to engage with the world around us and also our threshold for self-regulation may be a lot lower. This can lead to emotional outbursts, difficulty making decisions and other challenges.
• We need to think about what can happen and what is possible when we are within our optimal engagement band.
• Those who are neurodivergent tend to have higher sensory reactivity and knowing their optimal engagement band and how to get to that level, to co-regulate, can be very helpful in managing life.
• There are some days we may feel the need to mask which will further deplete our levels.

BEST MOMENTS

“A lot of research has been looked at between our sensation and our arousal regulation”

“That calm alert state, that’s where we have our optimal functioning”

“I just wanted something to get my arousal levels down”

“Look in the environment and find what we call co-regulation, what can we do in the environment to help us regulate”

“This is when the energy levels, or the effort that is required is greater than that individual's ability”

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 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.