Esmari Henning Occupational Therapist

19/07/2024

Neurofeedback Therapy available at the practice or at home or school visits

🔑The key for academic success

Neurofeedback therapy rewires the brain for improved focus, attention and cognitive function. The improved ability to self regulate, in turn, leads to improved academic performance📈

Studies have shown that individuals maintain these cognitive gains years after the intervention. This results in better grades, increased learning retention, and greater academic confidence.📚

For more info:
Whatsapp: 072 676 8439

09/07/2024

Truly heartwarming to read this. A noble profession indeed. Often overlooked and taken for granted. A profession that often falls prey to stereotypes of "just a job" every industry has people who don't serve but merely do a job, yet this is a profession that falls victim to such stereotypes far too often. Stories like this reminds us of the humble heroes amongst us. The ones who live to serve and whose kindness and compassion far exceeds their job description.
A salute to Sr Jantjies for setting an exceptional example, may many more strive to serve like you do.

Soos ’n ware heldin het suster Cynthia Jantjies (45) Sondag vier keer die trappe in die brandende Nasionale Distrikshospitaal in Bloemfontein opgehardloop, en elke keer nóg ’n pasiënt op haar rug uit die hospitaal gedra.

20/05/2024

📋Study methods workshop:
📚Just in time before the next exams.
🧠Learn to study smarter and not just longer and harder and while we're at it, learn some self regulation skills too💪

12/05/2024

Happy mother's day ♡

11/05/2024

Parent workshop:
Understanding challenging behaviour and supporting self regulation. The workshop aims to equip parents to better understand what's beneath the challenging behaviour they face and how to support their child and themselves to self regulate (keep calm). Break free from the frustrations of feeling helpless or alone in difficult situations. Learn the difference between meltdowns and tantrums and why it happens. Approach challenging behaviour from empathy and understanding to see the cause behind the behaviour and not just the behaviour on its own.

R390pp - Includes workshop materials and refreshments.

15/04/2024

Monday motivation:
Remember to make time for mindfulness. BE present in the moment and allow yourself to embrace the experience of existence in the absence of doing.

06/04/2024

Screen time series RETURNS

○Tips to generally reduce screen time

Coming soon:

💬 Digital dementia?
💬 Manage not control screen-time⏳
💬 What's the fuss about screen-time📱💻
💬 Realistic expectations & alternatives🌴
💬 Screen-time safety for teens

And so much more

02/04/2024

Autism Awareness (acceptance) day:

For a person with autism occupational therapy focuses on enhancing participation, engagement and performance in activities of daily living (e.g., feeding, dressing, mobility, safety, self care etc.), instrumental activities of daily living (e.g. community mobility, safety, homecare etc.), education, work (school), leisure, play and social participation.

For an individual with autism, OT services are defined according to the individual’s needs, goals and priorities after a comprehensive evaluation.
Therapy for addressing challenges relating to autism is often a multi disciplinary team effort between the pediatrician, occupational therapist, speech therapist and often dietician or social worker as well.
Every individual with autism is unique in their own combination of strengths or challenges that they experience and should be treated and embraced as such. The goals and therapy priorities will look different depending on every individual's needs.

Autism - different not less.

21/03/2024

Different not less.
More than a diagnosis.

Strengths of an individual with down syndrome:

Strong visual awareness and visual learning skills.

Ability to learn and use sign, gesture and visual support.

Ability to learn and use the written word.

Ability to learn from pictorial, concrete & practical materials.

Keen to communicate and socialise with others.

Friendly and kind

Tendency to model behaviour and attitudes from peers and adults.

Flourishes under structure & routine

Factors that inhibit learning:
Auditory and visual impairment.
Delayed motor skills – fine and gross.
Speech and language impairment.
Short term and working memory weaknesses.
Shorter concentration span.
Difficulties with consolidation and retention.
Difficulties with generalisation, thinking and reasoning.
Sequencing difficulties.
Avoidance strategies.

Occupational therapists are able to provide practical support and advice, enabling individuals with Downsyndrome to live more independent lives.

The type of interventions Occupational Therapists use will depend on the difficulties which are highlighted from an initial assessment. The type and severity of symptoms will vary amongst individuals with Down syndrome, and all intervention programmes will be tailored to suit the individual and their needs. Occupational Therapy sessions commonly focus on the individual's ability to complete skills to enable independence. These skills include:

Self-care
Fine Motor
Gross Motor
Play and leisure
Feeding
Skills related to a school setting e.g. writing, printing, cutting etc.
Sensory development

Occupational Therapists can help individuals with Downsyndrome by breaking down tasks into smaller steps, and then teaching them how to complete each step by step task. Occupational therapists can also provide appropriate aids and adaptations to assist with the completion of skills. This may include advice on positioning during certain tasks e.g. specially adapted chairs to use at school, due to the low muscle tone (hypotonia) experienced by most people with Down Syndrome, it is important that good posture is reinforced.

Occupational Therapists will work closely with the parents/carers and educational staff to provide them with techniques and strategies to help their child reach their potential in activities of daily life.

🧩 Office hours:
(by appointment only pending availability) 📝

Monday-Friday: 07:30 - 17:30
Saturday: (hospital clients only)
Sundays: closed

For appointments:
Whatsapp/message - 072 676 8439

01/03/2024

New month, New season...
and 🥳NEW Office🤩 (stay tuned for the official post of the new practice - same address, different building)

Autumn teach us just as the leaves start changing colours and falling, that there's beauty to letting go and changing the old to make space for the new growth that will come in another season🍁🍂🍃🌼

01/02/2024

Happy 1st of February...
This is your sign to get back on your new year goals, January was just a free trial - it's never too late to chase your dreams🤍

23/01/2024

✏️National handwriting day:
This is such an OT topic (but no, OT's do way more than just help kids write or perform school tasks)

🔡There is a lot more to writing than just pencil grip, letter formation and legibility. Telling a kid to just try a bit harder or practise a bit more will also not always be the solution to the challenge either.

🧱Hand writing relies on numerous foundational building blocks to be in place such as:

💪1. Gross motor skills: coordination, posture, balance (YES balance... if they can barely sit up in a chair, they WILL struggle to write), core strength and stability, shoulder stability, body awareness, motor control and motor planning.

👌2. Fine motor skills: finger isolation, fine motor coordination, dissociation of movement between joints in the hand and arm and sides of the hand... Pinky side needs to be stable and provide support while thumb side has to do movements and provide accuracy.

👀3. Visual motor skills, visual perception, motor integration, copying, spatial relations and sequencing.

👋4. Sensory registration, discrimination and modulation: feeling when the pencil is touching the paper and where the pencil is moving, how much pressure to apply to write etc.

🧠5. Executive functions: attention, concentration, working memory, task initiation and task completion, organisation.

✍️It might seem A LOT and maybe even overwhelming too. With a comprehensive occupational therapy evaluation all these components and more are evaluated to determine the source behind the challenge. With intervention and or individualised home programs these challenges can be addressed to ensure handwriting becomes fun again🖌️🤸‍♀️