Working twice a week with Annette has been very beneficial for our family. Our daughter has high-functioning autism and ADHD/ADD combined type, so most days are eventful. When Annette came into our lives, the whole family was struggling to be heard and feel safe with one another. Communication has improved; however, we are constantly struggling to let go of our reactions and simply listen.

 

We have struggled since our daughter was born with the dark, and getting her to sleep by herself. We have used a 90-minute bedtime routine since she was 3 years old of dimming the lights, bath/shower, and story time in bed. It still took her 60-90 minutes to get to sleep with a red LED night light. Most nights she woke up with nightmares. Annette recommended giving her a flashlight and having her breathe slowly 3 times with the light on, then 3 breaths with the light off. After six weeks we were seeing her fall asleep in 30 minutes or less (on most nights), and she had less anxiety about going to bed and being in the dark by herself. This was a huge improvement. 

 

Also, we homeschool our daughter, and Annette has given us several techniques like brain breaks, feeling buddies, and journaling to anticipate meltdowns. My favorite is S.T.A.R. Breathing. We use this technique when a friend knocks on the door, but we can't play at the moment. Our daughter is very honest, so not answering the door when her friends come over to play can cause extreme stress for her. I had tried placing a note outside to remind her friends when she could play, but some would still knock. Annette recommended we stand like a star and take 3 deep breaths when someone came to the door. At first, I had to use my body as a barricade, but within a week she was starting to stop herself from going to the door. Now she is able to acknowledge someone has knocked, then wait until I tell her if she can go outside to play. Her anxiety, and even my own, has gone down when we hear a knock at the door.  

 

We have become so accustomed to using some techniques that they have begun to happen naturally. An example was when my daughter suddenly started having tremors in her arms and legs. Without thinking about it, I held her in my arms, and we started taking deep breaths together until the shaking stopped. Afterwards, I made up an affirmation to help change the negative thoughts she was telling herself when the tremors happened. The advice and techniques Annette has given our family not only work for our daughter but have lessened my own fears and anger. 

 

I had tried some of these techniques before with little improvement in our day-to-day lives. However, Annette explained why they hadn't worked, and then explained the best times to practice them. Thank you, Annette, for all you have done for our family. We still have a long way to go, but it's getting easier every week.