A Woman's Work – Brooke Basically Blogging

 

Living with autism makes you think outside the box.  Autism brings mystery, laughter and tears. Sydney’s is growing up and is able to communicate her needs.  We are working with therapists to help her when it takes her longer to process information and how to communicate when something is upsetting to her. It breaks my heart when autism has her trapped. And she struggles so hard to try to get her thoughts out.

Her room has been an ongoing project.  I am desperate to make her room autism friendly because maybe she will sleep through the night. She told me she didn’t want a bed and doesn’t want the doors on her closet.

For one week she camped out on the floor with her comforters and blankets.  She would still wake up at 3:00 am.  But she wouldn’t sleep in her bed.  Was it the mattress? Was she ready to upgrade to a full-sized bed?  Harrison was not having that.

She wanted a tent.  The first tent we tried she liked but she would get upset if the sheet or blanket would fall off.  So we use that tent in Australia. She is able to make 3D geometric shapes and name them.  I didn’t know that she could do that. She likes to change the design of the tent.  She has better engineering skills than me.

On Saturday my friend Jennifer came over bringing homemade putty for our sensory bin and a Pink Foxy Tent as Syd called it.  We set the tent up and she loved it. We told Harrison to bring my tool bag and we took her bed apart.  We put the tent in her room. Syd immediately placed her blankets, her pillows and a flashlight inside the tent.

Later that night she invited Harrison and I inside her tent for a picnic.  The true test would be if she would actually sleep in the tent.  When it was time for her to go to bed, I thought she might want her bed back.  She said her prayers and went to sleep.  She told me she was Sleeping Beauty.

Well Sleeping Beauty slept until 4:00 am on Sunday and until 5:00 am on Monday.  Now I don’t know how long this will last.  But for right now I will take it.

Autism and sleep is something that has doctors and therapists puzzled. So my baby sleeps in a tent. I was thinking someone might call child protective services on me.  But she enjoys her space and feels safe. I have the data to prove it.

You might not understand but that’s okay. I probably wouldn’t either if I didn’t live it.