My son has autism and severe learning difficulties and from the age of 2 when he came out of his cot, I have had to sleep in his bedroom with him every night to ensure that he was safe. He only sleeps for about 3 hours a night and if left unsupported will seriously self harm.
By the time he was four, I was totally exhausted. I couldn’t remember the last time I actually went to bed in my room or had more than three hours sleep. My marriage was being seriously strained by our evening pattern of taking turns to sleep around him. It was like having an eternal new born baby getting up every half an hour to comfort and give feeds. My OT suggested we consider adapting his bedroom. I didn’t want any permanent adaptions as I feared that if we moved house, it would devalue the property.
A Safespace was suggested, as it would be freestanding and when we moved on from the property, it would be able to be taken with us. After the Safespace was fitted, within only four nights, my son actually signed that he wanted to go to bed. He had never done this before. He runs up the stairs and throws himself into his bed now, he has his own little safe haven. I think he also likes having space away from us! The Safespace has not increased the amount of sleep that my son has, but has given me back mine and has saved my marriage from falling apart. He loves his Safespace, he plays and jumps and bounces throughout the night and is totally safe. If he chooses to smear (little monster!), I can wipe his room down easily and the room is left clean within seconds. The windows that were designed within the Safespace, allow him access to watch his favourite lights and bubbletubes. He is totally contented. His Safespace feels like a comforting little zone, almost like a calming hug and he loves it. We are now going to save up and buy a Safespace Voyager, so that we can take him away on holiday with us.
