We recently received this heartfelt feedback from a parent whose 4-year-old daughter, E, has been struggling with the lasting impacts of early life trauma. Her mum explains why specialised sleep support is so vital.
Understanding E’s World
“E is 4 years old and has attachment disorder and trauma from early life experiences (as a previously Looked After Child in care). E likes to be in constant physical contact with myself; she likes to play by running around, chasing, and hide-and-seek. She likes jumping and crashing.
On the other hand, she doesn’t like unexpected, new, or loud noises. She also doesn’t like the unexpected – she likes routine and likes to know what is happening every day, and at each point throughout the day.”
The Cycle of Dysregulation
“E has poor, dysregulated sleep and goes into fight/flight regularly. She will be dysregulated for months at a time following a small change. When she is unable to relax, she is unable to learn and develop in line with her peers. She seeks out ways to meet her sensory needs that are not always great (over-eating, kicking, and hitting all night long).
E needs to control everything at home – the routine, and my movements and actions – in order to feel safe and calm. Obviously, this is not possible, so it causes further dysregulation.”
Reaching the Breaking Point
“The longer the dysregulation, the less sleep we get, the more angry she becomes, and eventually we reach breaking point. This means missed time from work and nursery, and usually, we both become run down and unwell. There will be a few weeks of reprieve after this period where things improve, then it starts all over again.
We had already received support from another sleep charity, which had improved the nighttime routine and getting to sleep, but E was unable to stay asleep. This was affecting her ability to learn and develop, impacting home life, and my ability to work.”
How Specialised Support Made a Difference
“Through Cerebra’s Sleep Service we received information on how attachment affects sleep and advice on sleeping arrangements. We also received:
- Advice for sensory breaks and regulation during the day to help the body relax at night.
- Guidance around sensory input and specific sensory activities.
- Options for sensory support and advice for E’s nursery to help her regulate during the day.
The sleeping arrangements have been adjusted, which has helped a bit. But the most important thing is that I now understand better how attachment and trauma affects the body and sleep. This affects how we structure our day and our evenings in order to give the optimal chance for sleep. Thank you for your support and advice.”
We understand that if you have one child that doesn’t sleep, the whole family suffers. Our range of sleep services will help your child – and everyone in your family – get a good night’s sleep. Find out how we can help here.
