Samantha Toweel - Moore is a practicing Senior Paediatric Occupational Therapist registered with the Health Professional Councils of South Africa and the United Kingdom. Following the attainment of her degree from the University of Witwatersrand in 1995 , her passion for children led her straight into the paediatric field where she commenced working with children with various types of developmental delay, and conditions such as attention deficit disorder and dyspraxia. Two years later she opened her own private practice and provided services to several private and public schools in Johannesburg. In 1999, Samantha and her husband relocated to the UK where she worked for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets , Social Services department as a Senior Practitioner. She designed, developed and headed a specialised children's team and worked alongside technical surveyors and architects to adapt homes of children with physical impairments to maximise their ability to be independent in their everyday living. Working with these children Samantha felt compelled to assist them with their integration into mainstream schools resulting from the inclusion policy. This was a life altering experience for her as she saw first hand the guts and determination of children with severe disabilities to integrate with their 'normal' peers. Self belief was the key factor that differentiated those who succeeded from those who failed. The parent role and attitude was imperative too. Samantha went on to publish and present several research papers on inclusion and team work, in London. She was a guest lecturer at the University of Queen Mary's, London. In 2002, Samantha's quest for more knowledge about building self belief in children lead her to complete her honours degree in psychology, cum laude at the University of SA. Samantha's son Tyedon was born in London in 2003. Becoming a parent enriched her life and changed her priorities. Returning home to her family in SA to provide her child with an extended family circle became her priority. Her daughter, Taylin was born in South Africa in 2004. Since the birth of her children Samantha has minimised work to maximise her time as a mother. She revamped her work practice to allow her to work in the early mornings and nights so she could be available to her children in the day time. She completed several writing courses with The Write Company. Currently, Samantha is a regular contributor to Your Baby magazine, reviews the developmental aspects of educational toys for Think Toys and is undertaking educational projects with Redgwoods, (Toys 'R Us, Baby and Co, Reggies, Little People). Samantha has scripted and co-produced a Child Safety DVD for Babies ‘R Us. She provides talks and training for parents, teachers and businesses. She has appeared on E-TV, Channel Islam International, Radio Islam, and in both The Star Verve and Natal Witness newspapers, regarding parenting and child development advice. Samantha provides talks and training for parents, teachers and businesses. Samantha's years of experience of encountering and sharing the challenges children and families meet in terms of development and schooling led her to accept an offer to design educational toys for Bright Kid toy manufacturers. She released 7 innovative toys for children birth - 9 years in November 2006 at the Baba Indaba. It is her belief that these toys will help early development and reduce the need for occupational therapy for the children she can reach. It was heart breaking to witness children having to deal with holes in their foundation skills upon reaching school going age. Samantha’s toys were designed with common development problems in mind and address these to alter the cycle of developmental delay. Being a parent herself and experiencing the anxiety this responsibility can bring should you be concerned about your child's development made Samantha set up this website. She believes knowledge empowers and allows your as parents, teachers and health professionals to awaken a child's true potential. Go on ....Ask. |