The “5 Polka Dots” approach helped me moved from feeling powerless to empowered. I now know how to handle the situations that arise with my daughter and be proactive rather than reactive. Our whole family is grateful.

Brightening Connections’ knowledge of persons with “high-functioning autism” and their communication, social and sensory issues, is impressive.  I feel I have finally met, after over 30 years on this journey with my son, someone who really knows and understands the struggles autism presents…and more importantly, how to help.

The 5 Polka Dots approach is so simple that it’s transformative. While it’s helped immensely in my parenting strategies, resulting in more connection and joy in our home, it’s also given me some space to focus on myself. Instead of managing behavior all the time, I find myself creating new opportunities for me and my family.

I stopped searching after finding our 5th speech therapist, Samantha Sawyer of Brightening Connections. At the time I felt like I didn’t even have a 2 1/2-year old daughter and I was begging for someone to help! My daughter Savannah previously wanted nothing to do with me and sat in a room by herself not talking to anyone. Now she loves talking, going on rides, getting her face painted, going to school and hanging out with her friends. Today is much different and we have Samantha to thank for that!

We learned sensory calming techniques in the comfort of our home to use with our 5-year old birth son and our 7-year old adopted son. The boys love being wrapped tightly in a blanket and then slowly rolling out due to a shift in the “fight or flight” nervous system. We do this proactively before getting in the car for an extended drive and the boys do great now!

I had not seen my brother with Asperger’s for about a year, and I was happily surprised to see the changes in him after Transition Coaching. His outlook on life is more positive and our relationship has improved greatly. He is now more aware of the impact of things he says, he listens during conversations and responds appropriately. Brightening Connections gave him tools that he uses every day to improve his life!

Brightening Connections has provided a “whole” family and holistic approach to improving our daughter’s speech and auditory processing. We see improvements weekly. The home visits provide the opportunity for us to learn and practice our techniques to support our daughter’s goals. Without this we’d still be running blind telling her to “use her words” and drilling vocabulary rather than truly supporting her and modeling the words to use! With their approach we have fun and feel more like parents vs. the traditional approach where we feel like a speech therapist. Also, the connection and education helps us as parents build a strong foundation – as a family.

Brightening Connections workshops are great at balancing theory with applications to everyday, personalized situations. Incredibly helpful and open…a fantastic experience.

Brightening Connections has a phenomenal understanding of how children are affected by their environment. I think in a totally new way because of the skills they’ve taught me. I’ve learned how to create play that has the appropriate stimulation for each and every child. As a result I connect with them more effectively, which helps get them engaged so they learn more easily. The “5 Polka Dots” is a gift!

I am amazed at the progress my adult son, recently diagnosed with Asperger’s, is making! He is more self aware and much more relaxed because now he has tools that help him in his social interactions. Before he ‘said the wrong thing’ and didn’t know why. Now he warns us before changing the subject and takes correction from being a ‘know it all’ or dominator. Most importantly, he has self confidence, knowledge that the future will be brighter than the past.