Sleep Routines

Post Reply New Topic

Hi parents! I'm a college student trying to better understand my autistic friends. One thing I've noticed a lot is that they struggle with sleep and was wondering how that affected their parents.

What has your experience been with your child's sleep and sleep schedules? When was it the hardest? What things have you tried and what was most effective?

An ASD person here: As child, my (ASD-like) mom got me worry dolls and guided relaxation audio that really helped. In college a professor stressed the importance of sleep and I continued my relaxation techniques; a therapist taught me imagery and lucid dreaming to imagine support to redirect nightmares. As an adult I would count down from 100 or at the worst times imagine a safe place (when awake I did EFT to handle the acute stress). My mom got me ear plugs that helps when I am agitated and every little sound is disturbing. Life is gentler now, but I still wake up when (moderately) stressed but have the discipline to go immediately back to sleep (sometimes I have to write some things down to get them out of mind), or if not, I get up for an hour, have a tea and then go back to sleep. For my elementary school aged ASD-like daughter, I lay with her as she falls asleep and she joins us in the morning for a bit before we wake up. She did sleep by herself all night for a while, but had a regression. All in good time. I have yet to teach her (in earnest) the techniques my ASD-like mom taught me, but I have them ready for when the time arises (and have floated a few by casually).

When I was a child, I could never feel tired. My father would just yell at me "Well then GET tired!" as if it was something I can control over. I wasn't allowed to get up and play or read or anything, so I would just lay there in my bed all night long and never sleep.

Thankfully my ASD child sleeps okay most of the time, but she will go through phases where she doesn't