| Parents of autistic children often struggle to get | | | | the child to experience a degree of consistency |
| them to sleep, and therefore struggle with their | | | | and predictability, which is often vital to an autistic |
| own sleep as well. However, we all know the | | | | child's proper functioning. |
| importance of ensuring children get the sleep that | | | | - Provide your autistic child with visual rules that |
| they need in order to get the most out of the | | | | indicate the rule for staying in one's room or bed |
| various therapies and efforts being made to | | | | at night. These visual rules should be posted in |
| improve their symptoms. However, it can be | | | | various visible areas of the bedroom. |
| easier said than done! | | | | - Pair the bedtime rules and routines that you |
| Over-sensitivity to stimuli can be a frustrating | | | | create with social stories that can help to speak |
| challenge for both autistic children and their | | | | to your autistic child's sleep-related anxieties. |
| parents. Over-reaction to various sounds in the | | | | - Change the bedroom environment to make it |
| child's environment, as well as smells, lights, or any | | | | more appealing to your autistic child. While some |
| other sensations may make it difficult for a child | | | | autistic children respond well to having a nightlight, |
| to fall asleep or stay asleep. Many autistic children | | | | others require total darkness with a black out blind |
| have sensory issues within their sleep | | | | over the window for blocking the exterior light as |
| environment. This can make it difficult for them | | | | well. Many autistic children sleep better when their |
| to relax enough to fall asleep or to find a | | | | bed is pushed up against the wall, as they feel |
| comfortable position in which to sleep. | | | | more secure; a corner is even better. To block |
| In Siegal's book The World of the Autistic Child, it | | | | out any sounds that may be distressing your child, |
| was suggested that the sleep problems faced by | | | | use a white noise machine or run a fan in your |
| autistic children may also be a result of the way | | | | child's bedroom. |
| autistic neurotransmitters in the brain function. It | | | | - If you usually sleep in the same bed as your |
| stated that about 56 percent of autistic children | | | | autistic child and he or she is struggling to sleep |
| struggle with sleep-related issues that they will | | | | alone, "replace" yourself with a sleeping bag or |
| rarely "grow out of". | | | | body pillow to mimic the pressure that would |
| So one of the first steps for remedying the lack | | | | usually exist if you were lying in the bed. |
| of sleep is to try to identify what is causing your | | | | - Use layers for your child's pajamas and tuck him |
| child to struggle to sleep. Is it anxiety, sensory | | | | or her in well so that any tactile sensitivity will be |
| issues, medical issues, attention seeking, or | | | | minimized. |
| something in the bedroom itself? | | | | By rooting out any disturbances causing your child |
| The following tips are for parents to help their | | | | not to sleep and by introducing routines and an |
| autistic children get to sleep and stay that way | | | | effective sleeping environment, your autistic child |
| until morning: | | | | should be able to enjoy a great deal more sleep - |
| - Set a bedtime and stick to it, including the | | | | as will you. |
| routines that occur before bedtime. This allows | | | | |