As a parent of a child with severe Autism, ADHD and Pathological Demand Avoidance, I have found that parents have access to therapy but do not get taught a lot of the skills on how to work with their child in daily life, particularly relating to meltdowns, creating calm environments for themselves and their children, co-regulation, settling the family nervous system and importantly, connection.

Children with Autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, a mix of neurodivergence or other special needs, can struggle to connect and regulate themselves leading to frustration and meltdowns. In turn parents can struggle a great deal to self-regulate as well. Meltdowns can be incredibly triggering, stressful and frankly exhausting, yet we as parents are told to simply ‘just stay calm’.

I support families by using Paediatric massage, bodywork and co-regulation techniques based on neuroscience and working with the nervous system to offer tools for both you and your child. If your child is sensitive to touch we have alternatives we can explore. I look at creating simple processes you can use anywhere in moments of overwhelm, as well as routines we establish for home as a means of calm, predictability and connection.

These are tools that I not only teach to parents but use in my everyday life as well. I use this work with both my children as I have a neurotypical child as well as a neurodivergent child and I understand that having a sibling with special needs can create anxiety and stress for everyone in the family. Its just as important to support the other members in the family unit, including you the parents.

I teach parents tools on how to work with their child on a daily basis using various modalities as well as creating trust and connection while also supporting your own nervous system so you can work toward a better quality of life and get the best out of your child and your family.