In my early 20s, I found myself fascinated and deeply curious about autism while working hands-on at a special place called Education Spectrum in Altadena, CA. I didn’t know why I felt so drawn, but I followed that inner pull. That curiosity became my Master’s thesis in 2007, titled Autism: An Extraordinary Opportunity in Education, where I wrote about autism through the lens of a whole child approach.
At the time, I didn’t fully understand why my heart was so invested. I just knew it mattered. Fast forward to 2025—eighteen years later—and I find myself building something that reflects the very seeds I planted back then.
While searching through bins in storage recently, I came across a hard copy of my thesis. Reading those pages brought me to tears. So much of what I dreamed about and wrote then, I am now living and creating. Not word for word, but the essence—the vision— is similar.
Today, I offer services as a trauma-informed somatic practitioner, supporting children on the autism spectrum and their families through a whole child, whole family approach. My work is about more than strategies or behaviors—it is about connection, regulation, and resilience, through somatic approaches that support the body, helping children and families feel safe and regulated. I remain deeply committed to continuing to advocate for these children and their families, ensuring they are seen and supported.
Back then, I could not have imagined the path I would walk. I have spent these years raising and homeschooling my two children, and through that, learning more than any textbook could have taught me. With the addition of my two-year Somatica training, a trauma-informed somatic-based program, I am now stepping more fully into this work, and it feels both brand new and divinely familiar.
There is a reason God has guided me back to this place. I feel it in my bones. The years in between were not wasted—they were preparation. They were life shaping me, training me, humbling me, and reminding me what really matters.
I never would have guessed I would return to this work after so many seasons passed, but now I can see the thread... I was always being guided here.
With gratitude for this journey and for the children and families I have the honor of supporting,
Tovah Petra
Tovah Petra
0 Comments