#Autistic kids dont sleep well how to
#Autistic kids dont sleep well Patch

He suggests parents talk through what's happened during the day as their child is going to bed and focus on the positives. He's now got a master's in creative writing and his first novel is about to be published (about a war fought by teenagers with special needs). 'I used to make up adventures, usually about Sonic the Hedgehog, in my head and invent stories while I played one of those characters,' he says.Ĭhris would add to the storyline until he fell asleep each night: 'Maybe that was something that helped me get to sleep because I was burning off the last of the mental energy I had for the day.' She advises parents to focus on when their child is showing sleepy signs and use that to set up a routine to prepare them for sleep and to set regular bedtimes and wake times.Īutistic speaker Chris Bonnello remembers lying awake in bed for hours when he was younger. Professor Blunden says you need to work out your child's sensitivities and anxieties, because 'if a child with autism doesn't feel right they won't sleep'. So, what do the experts suggest? Set up a routine

But the tiredness builds up, and after a few restless nights he's really struggling and I'm desperate to help him sleep.

#Autistic kids dont sleep well Patch

It's counterintuitive but often Patch has a great day after next to no sleep, as though he's stayed awake to work something out in his brain. Patch has also had long stretches of going to sleep early and waking up at 1:00am or 2:00am, bright and cheery and ready to start the day. On those nights he would often finally fall asleep about 5 o'clock, just as the sun was starting to come up. That gentle thud meant it was 3:00am and Patch and I were still awake. There have been so many times I've sworn under my breath at the sound of the newspaper landing on the neighbour's driveway. Source: Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders All these things that children have challenges with anyway, a child with autism has double-whammy.' Common sleep problems in autistic children 'It's much more difficult to control your emotions, to understand, to learn, to memorise, to concentrate, to regulate your behaviour. 'Without sleep nothing else goes right, really,' says Professor Sarah Blunden, a psychologist and head of paediatric sleep research at Central Queensland University. But the less sleep you get, the tougher it is to figure out a solution. 'It's not supposed to be this hard' is a thought that has plagued me often in the middle of the night.

#Autistic kids dont sleep well how to

The result of lack of sleep is less complicated: exhausted kids, and extra stress on parents already managing the additional needs of their child.Īs a parent, not being able to figure out how to help your child sleep can also make you feel inadequate. The reasons aren't clear but it could be due to anxiety, sensory sensitivities or irregularities in their sleep-wake cycle. Sleep problems are extremely common among children diagnosed on the autism spectrum, with researchers estimating somewhere between 40 to 80 per cent of autistic kids are affected.

There are no quick fixes but there are some proven strategies that can help your child sleep, and some things that can help you cope when they're not. I'm on my third coffee.īut sleep doesn't need to be an impossible dream. The reality is I'm writing this on four hours' sleep after my son finally dozed off at about 1 o'clock this morning. I wish I could tell you we've found the answer to Patch consistently getting the rest he (and we) need. In the past nine years it feels like we've tried everything to help our autistic son sleep. Our family are experts in sleep deprivation.