18/03/2026
A good friend gave me some constructive feedback back yesterday evening. They suggested I talk more about my personal reasons for founding Nurologik and creating NuroCove spaces.
They told me to step forward as my true authentic self and tell my story. Well, anyone that knows me, will know my response to that ideaโฆ
Then, I realised that I have nothing to loose in giving it a go. So, here is part one of the story of Alex (Ali) Kegie. Itโs just a short introduction.
Born into a relatively privileged family, I am one of 4 siblings. The only one diagnosed with any neurological differences.
At 18 months old, I started to experience epileptic โabsencesโ and experienced one convulsion. I still remember being taken to the hospital in an ambulance - which is โoddโ in itself.
All throughout my life, I experienced sensory sensitivities, and for many years attributed these experiences to being epileptic.
Bright or flashing lights, bold patterns on floor and wall coverings, overwhelm in busy environments. I assumed it was the photosensitivity that Iโd been diagnosed with as a child, and understandably, so did my parents.
No doubt, there was a connection, but it didnโt explain everythingโฆ
Why did I experience pain from high pitched sounds?
Why was I a late starter with both speech and walking?
Why, when I did start to talk, did I come out with full sentences, with my first word being elephant?! All very strange, but just taken as a quirks.
In early childhood, a favourite pastime was counting the birds in my garden to determine numbers of each species, I quickly realised that it wasnโt a great way to collect data - how could I tell if I counted a bird twice?!
Birds were my first โspecial interestโ.
But even before that my sensory seeking behaviours were evident. The distant sound of a marching band on a Sunday, and the smell of freshly baked bread from a local factory werenโt just a pleasant sensory experience for me. The need to get closer to the sound so I could feel it, and taste that smell were so intense that I would drag family members (good old (great) Aunty Joan mostly) for miles to find what I was seeking. I was 3 years old. I still remember it clearly.
Iโm lucky. I now wonder what would have happened if my needs werenโt catered for at those times. Would I have been a child that suffered public โmeltdownsโ. I doubt it. I was more prone to shutting down, then.
What has this got to do with Nurologik? Not much, other than having lived experience of sensory hypo- and hyper- sensitivities pretty much all my life, and so I understand the environmental barriers faced by many neurodivergent people. Iโve read the books, but most of my spaces are created through experience and listening to other neurodivergent people. It does make a differenceโฆ
Image:
1. Alex (Ali) Kegie as a young child, sitting on a rocking chair.
2. Alex (Ali) Kegie recently pictured in her homebased โofficeโ, with calm blue, green & purple lighting and plants
