Better Bedtimes for Your Autistic Child

A Holistic Approach to Bedtime Challenges

Six weekly sessions at Treehouse Therapy, Courtenay.

Course starts Sunday, October 27th 2024, 10:30am. $850+GST.

Spaces are limited. If you are unsure whether this course is right for your situation, please schedule a call to check this is a right fit for your challenges. Spaces cannot be held.

Connect with other parents and build a supportive community in a safe, intimate, neuro-affirming space. Spaces are limited to allow for personalized support and guidance along with closer connections.

Access digital tools, including sleep diaries, behaviour detective worksheets, and a comprehensive guidebook.

Receive customized expert guidance from a certified Infant and Family Sleep Specialist, autism support consultant, and most importantly, a mother in a neurodivergent (AuDHD, PDA) family.

This is tried, tested and lived-experience education.

Explore the root causes for why your child is struggling with bedtime and sleep, and learn evidence-based strategies.

Dr Jessica Guy, Child Developmental Psychologist, Infant and Family Sleep Specialist and Infant Sleep Scientist

"I think sometimes we have to accept bedtime is a lot of effort and it’s not something that’s going to happen naturally like maybe for some kids. It takes intention and effort. I think I probably speak for a lot of parents when I say that sometimes accepting this is the hardest part. [Suzanne’s] content is great and all the way through [her webinar] I was thinking that this for all parents, ND or not.

If you are struggling with your infant or child’s bedtime, especially if they are neurodivergent, or you suspect they are, then Suzanne is your gal!"

Learn practical strategies, gain valuable resources, and build confidence in supporting your child's sleep.

For those who struggle with bedtime, falling asleep, and night wakings, this course offers practical steps for immediate support and valuable insights for future family needs. The primary goal is to empower parents to achieve a more restful, connected, and confident parenting experience while supporting their children to fall asleep and sleep well.

This neuro-affirming course is a unique blend of consultation, sleep education, and autism support designed specifically for parents and caregivers of autistic children developmentally aged 3 to 12 years.

Over 6 weeks, participants will engage in a collective deep-dive into understanding behaviours, addressing underlying causes, and discovering how to achieve better rest and ease.

By the end of the course, parents will be equipped to respond to their children’s needs with confidence and regulation, rather than reacting from frustration and exhaustion. 

While the ultimate goal for many may be for children to sleep independently with minimal support needed, time and time again, I see supported sleep to be an accomodation that allows children to be able to cope with daytime expectations. The course focuses on discovering each child’s unique capabilities, whether that is independent or supported sleep. During this course, I will support you in transforming bedtimes from the most challenging part of the day into a joyful opportunity for connection and positive experiences with your child.

“We had been struggling with sleep with our 9 year old for quite some time, and were at our wits end. Suzanne made some simple suggestions (simple yet we hadn’t thought of them on our own!) and when we implemented them things improved right away. Our kiddo is now sleeping well through the night and my partner and I have a little time to be with each other in the evening, something we hadn’t had in a long time.”

“Suzanne is a gem! As the parent of neurodivergent children, she totally gets it and is compassionate, real, and easy to talk with.”

Nadine.

“Suzanne is wonderful to work with. She is uplifting, great at listening, shows deep care and interest for what she does and comes from a place of compassion and understanding of the journey of motherhood. I also love her upbeat and fun nature. Highly recommend her.”

- Annie.

What You Gain

Finding your way in unknown territory.

Enhanced Understanding

Gain insights into what impacts behaviour and your child’s ability to get to sleep. In this course, we will explore the daily, sensory, developmental and sleep science factors affecting your child.

Effective Strategies

Learn practical tools for managing challenging behaviors and complex needs, promoting healthy sleep habits, all while taking into account your capacity as a parent and caregiver.

Personalized Support

Receive tailored guidance and resources to address your unique family’s specific challenges.

Limited Enrollment

Limited Enrollment

This course is capped for enrollment to keep the group size manageable for engagement and customized guidance for your specific scenarios and circumstances.  

There are limited enrollment spots.  If you are unsure whether this course will benefit you, please reach out for a free virtual call with the course facilitator, Suzanne to discuss your needs and suitability.

✺ Frequently asked questions ✺

  • The course is designed for children of developmental ages between 3-12, many of the principles and strategies can be adapted for young teens.

  • My approach is respectful to the child, neuro-affirming and trauma-informed. This course focuses on addressing the root causes of transitional challenges, after school restraint collaspe, autistic burnout, sensory challenges, separation anxiety and more. This is not sleep training. Sleep training is a bahvioural modification program, designed to extinguish behaviour around asking for comfort and support.

  • Anyone that claims they can guarantee results when offering to teach parents how to support a bodily function that is as complex as sleep and the separation that sleep presents, especially in a group of atypically developing minds and bodies, when they don’t even know the cause of the issues, is in my opinion, promising something that they shouldn’t.  What I can offer you, is an approach that is child and parent centred.  We will assess your goals and determine if those goals are appropriate for your unique child and their unique needs.  In implementing my strategies you will see an improvement in the challenges you face.  I cannot guarantee the level of these improvements as I do not know the complexity of your situation or how committed you are to making the changes that your child needs. 

  • $850 Canadian, plus GST.

    This covers the full six, 1.5hr weekly sessions, all handouts and guidebook and consulting during the sessions.

    You may be able to claim this fee from your child's AFU funding or health spending accounts. Please contact your providers for confirmation.

  • The sessions are scheduled for Sundays, starting on 27th October and continue weekly until 1st December, 2024. We'll be in Treehouse Therapy, Suite 300, 1590 Cliffe Ave, Courtenay, B.C. from 10:30am to 12pm.

    There is no childcare provided.

  • We have plans to record the sessions to make these available for people who may not be able to make some sessions. We cannot guarantee this due to many technical factors. All participants will be sent digital copies of the session guides.

  • I’m glad you asked because this is a really important question that needs to be considered whenever considering bringing someone into a family’s support team or community.  I see claims from others of being neuro-affirming but who also work within an ableist belief system of behaviourism and neuro-typical goals which can be harmful to many.


    Yes, I am neuro-affirming.  I believe that many of the “accommodations” we need to advocate for our kids and for ourselves should be considered to be more of an evolution of society.  To be more inclusive of people, we really need to shift a very outdated and disproved opinion that to be different is to be less than.  We’re not “other”, we are simply another, another unique human.

    If you would like to see my neuro-affirming advocacy work, I would encourage you to check out my Instagram Page www.instagram.com/neurodivergentsleepandwellness and my podcast Nurturing Neurodiverents   I have also completed the Foundations of Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy training with The Neurodiversity University.

  • This course cannot replace the need for one-to-one service providers such as mental health therapists or occupational therapists.  This course has been designed to address common challenges faced by autistic children, including anxiety and sensory processing issues. I provide strategies to help you address these issues and concerns.  If you have concerns that your child has serious mental health issues, I urge you to seek out professional support on a 1:1 basis for you and your child.  This course would complement the information that you have been given by your child’s occupational therapist on their sensory profile, if your child has one.  If you are working with another non-medical professional regarding your child’s bedtime or sleep, my approach and recommendations may oppose theirs.

  • Click through one of the buttons to register, or go to treehousetherapy.ca/groups/

  • If you have available funding in this current year, yes.