Synopsis of Book
AUTISM SLEEPS… is an easy-to-read manual of sleep information and methods for helping persons with sensory processing difficulties, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, achieve an overall healthy sleep experience. It also serves as a thorough resource of sleep sensory strategies and suggestions for preparing the “sleep environment”. Sample bedtime and wake-up routines are provided as templates, especially to guide parents of children with sleep difficulties.
AUTISM SLEEPS… provides checklists to identify which of the six sensory area(s) are impacted by poor sleep. A menu of sensory strategies in each of those affected areas is available for use in preparing a person to sleep, stay asleep and transition to wake up. Additionally, a diary and graph are available for logging the impact of the strategies implemented to determine those that are most effective in helping restless minds sleep.
Why is the book important?
Having worked as a therapist in many settings since 1977, a common concern that I heard routinely was that the person with whom I was working had problems sleeping more than a few hours at a time. If he or she slept, often sleep was interrupted with early or frequent awakenings.
As a typically excellent sleeper, my own sleep/wake cycle was overturned after experiencing a near fatal automobile accident in 2002. I suffered several fractures, as well as a mild head injury where I lost my short-term memory for nine months, and was confined to a wheelchair for three months. So I understood very well how it felt to experience poor quality sleep, making it extremely challenging to get through the next day.
As a result of my head injury, I was diagnosed with a form of Narcolepsy, a sleep disorder, called Post Traumatic Hypersomnia. This is a condition in which I was functioning during my daytime activities while being in a state of constant shallow sleep, and at night never getting into a level of deeper, restful sleep to “recharge” my body for the next day. Therefore, I was either sleepy throughout the day or falling asleep during periods when I would be sitting still or even while driving in slow-moving traffic.This book is a compilation of what I learned about sleep to help myself, as well as those that I serve as an Occupational Therapist. The additional knowledge that I gained as a wellness consultant served to enhance the development of essential sensory strategies that became part of the approaches outlined in this resource. I hope these elements of nature and universal strategies will help others as much as they have helped me.
Who is your target market?
Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder or other disorders that have sensory processing problems as a component, such as ADHD, Specific Learning Disabilities, Developmental Dyspraxia, etc,. Also, any person with a “restless mind” that needs calming sensory strategies could also benefit greatly from this resource.
Where is the book for sale?
Through this website as of September 8th, 2013.
Is there anything else we should know?
In order for persons to overcome their sleep problems, they should be open-minded and willing to try strategies even if they think they might not have an impact. It is only through this type of mentality that holistic sensory strategies will help them.
What’s inside?
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