How do I get him out of bed in the morning?

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If someone tickled me first thing in the morning I would throw up on them. I have a hard time with unexpected touch at the best of times, let alone when I first wake up. My sons have always woken up super early, so I don't have this problem with them. But I have always struggled with mornings. I have a hard time getting and staying asleep (melatonin has really helped here though!), and I just always feel really ill, tired and disoriented when I first wake up. What works for me is a gradual alarm (one that starts out soft and gets gradually louder), or a person I like waking me up gently (without touching). This avoids that paralyzed by the shock and noise of a sudden loud sound that PunkyKat mentioned, which I also experience. It is going to take me way longer to get myself up and oriented with the world if I am in panic/shutdown mode because of a loud alarm or someone shouting. I allow myself time to press the snooze twice, and then force myself to get up. I really need that time of just lying there for my body to get used to being awake. Not sure how this translates to teaching a teenager to get up though...maybe a discussion where he chooses a new morning strategy which he feels might work for him, and then a reward for no late mornings during a given period of time? First though, I agree with the previous posters that it is important to look into what quality of sleep he is getting and what you can do to improve it.

Also my husband does do that "luring" out of bed thing with me. If I am lucky there is a cup of tea waiting for me in the kitchen, and does it ever make the morning easier having that little something that I look forward to to get my butt downstairs.

I agree with everyone who has mentioned melatonin, it works for me and the first time my 15 year old took it he slept for 13 hours in a row; must have really needed the catch up.
Tickling wouldn't work with my 15 year old, he is our 4th son and mornings are not his best time. I find that he needs to have everything organized the night before for a better morning the next day; he likes to wake up gently and slowly, doesn't like being social at all in the morning.
We did switch schools this year and things are much better. Last year he needed to be out of the door and on the bus by 7:10 a.m. and it was not fun; we did resort to bribery - if he could get himself out of bed and out the door without our nagging every day then we would reward him with an Ipod.
This year, with the new school, he doesn't have to be on the bus until 8:25 and it is much better. He is eating a better breakfast prior to leaving and has time to watch a little TV, finish up homework if necessary etc. Better all around.

Is it possible he has low blood sugar in the morning? I sometimes do and can't wake up until I get something high high sugar content to eat or drink. I know soda pop or candy isn't the best choice for breakfast so perhaps you could offer your son some orange juice, fruit or something sweet but nutritious in the morning.

Tickling would make me throw up on the person as well. My mom would sometimes put one of the chihuahuas in my bed with me and they would either snuggle up to me or lick me awake. I didn't ,mind when they snuggled but licking was too intense of a sensory expirence espicaly first thing in the morning.

Last edited by PunkyKat on 02 Nov 2010, 1:47 am, edited 1 time in total.

But YOU don't really understand, he REALLY didn't sleep well. When someone on the spectrum tries to communicate something to you, you need to listen. If this has been such a problem, then it likely isn't that normal grogginess that "other people" experience.


Teenagers naturally sleep later than adults. Sleep disorders such as delayed sleep phase syndrome (I have it and it's horrible) are also co-morbid with spectrum disorders.

I was constantly sleep deprived as a child. I would get in bed around 9, I would fall asleep around 4am and I would have to wake up at 6am...which quiet honestly, much of the time I didn't.

My natural sleep cycle is from 4am to 12pm. Even if I fall asleep earlier, I will not go into the deeper stages of REM sleep until 4am.

The level of sleep deprivation I experienced would likely be considered torture if I were a detainee and it was the US military making me get up.

I honestly believe my life would have been much better if I were not so sleep deprived. I think you should just let your son sleep.

You should take him to a sleep doctor and have him tested. Both of my children have sleeping problems.They have delayed sleep phase syndrome-which basically means that they sleep just fine but cannot go to sleep after midnight. They are night owls. Both of them do not attend school until second block

Melissa