7-year-old Lucian is a happy and bubbly young boy who gets on so well with others and loves being outdoors. We recently had the pleasure of getting to know him and his mum, Gemma after Lucian was initially referred to our Sleep Team.

Last year, Lucian started finding it hard to sit still and was getting more and more frustrated. At first, his Teaching Assistant at his school didn’t know why Lucian was getting angry. As his temper tantrums got more frequent, it became clear he was experiencing sensory issues. Lucian then started to receive occupational therapy and began assessments for ADHD and Autism.

Lucian also started to suffer from night terrors and lack of sleep and this is when Gemma got referred to us for our Sleep Team to get in touch with her. Our Sleep Practitioners help children who struggle to get the rest they need. Lack of sleep affects the whole family. For children, it’s incredibly distressing and for parents, it makes the everyday challenges they face all the more difficult.

“Laura, our Sleep Practitioner was absolutely brilliant,” explains Gemma. “She started off by asking us to keep a sleep diary, before working with us on different techniques to help Lucian sleep at night. She was always available to catch up and so I let her know about Lucian’s sensory issues also.”

After talking through these issues, Laura recommended our Sensory Toy Library service, which helps children with different sensory needs to organise and respond to sensory input through a range of toys, which also help them to learn and play.

We sent Lucian and Gemma our Sensory Suitcase, which contains fibre optics and UV lights as well as sound and tactile items. Lucian loves to play with the disco light merry-go-round and the fibre optics help him to respond well to colours.

Gemma adds; “Jan, the Cerebra Librarian has been lovely. All-in-all, I’m overwhelmed by the support we’ve had. We’ve received the knowledge, guidance and reassurance to help me realise that this is ok and there is support available.”

The mental stimulation from the sensory toys will help Lucian stay relaxed and focussed and the sleep support will help him to have less restless nights. What’s also a huge help, though, is how much he loves the outdoors, and in particular, visiting the skate park! This will give Lucian plenty of opportunity to tire himself out, which will also help him to sleep at night!