I'm AuDHD — both autistic and ADHD, diagnosed. That shapes how I understand these kids. Not as a clinical observation, but because I live it. Sensory overload, executive dysfunction, the gap between knowing what to do and being able to do it — I don't read about it, I navigate it daily.
My son is autistic and non-speaking. He's the reason this work exists. When he was younger, sleep was a four-alarm fire every single night. I'd be up at 2am, holding him through a meltdown because the transition from day to night short-circuited his nervous system, knowing I had to be up again at 6am to do it all over again.
I tried the mainstream stuff. Weighted blankets. Sleep training books. The pediatrician who said "give it time." None of it was built for autistic neurology — and most of us figure that out pretty quickly. What finally worked was hiring a real sleep consultant. Within eight weeks, my son was sleeping through the night. So was I.
That's when I decided to do this professionally. I'm now completing my certification through Rest Mama Academy — approved by the International Pediatric Sleep Consultants (IPSCC) and the Association for Sleep Consultants (ASC). The credential is important. But what matters more is that I've lived it: the sensory processing, the routine rigidity, the meltdown prevention, the parent who's been awake since 11pm and has to function at 6am. I get it because I've been there.