Better sleep transformed an autistic child’s mood, focus, communication, and daily life. Learn practical sleep tips that can support wellbeing for children with autism and their families.
Looking back at when all this started I would restrict my statement to such sleep that would make a difference for my child with autism in a few years from now I am the worst person to imagine that. Just like most other parents I emphasized on a lot of different therapies, schedules, games and different activities for my kid and also worked hard on the communicative skills. Particularly regarding the communicative aspect, I was too engrossed and I missed something very crucial: Sleep.
From quite an early age it was clear that good nights of sleep did not come easily to my child. He often used to have difficulties in getting to bed. I specifically recall so many sleepless nights where waiting for the morning to appear would take almost 3 hours. There are other instances that a young male would just wake up and be bright alert at dawn. It was therefore everyone in the house did not even know how to operate anymore.
Initially, I thought that poor sleep is one of those things that we would have to live with. However, with the passage of time, this trend began to bother me because most of the days, they held true. The day after my child sleeps well the day is noticeably more smooth and it is easier to focus without getting frustrated. On the contrary, if the child does not get enough sleep everything seems like an effort.
This awareness got me very determined to include enough sleep in my child’s routine, goals and practices.
The first modification we made was introduce a regulated nighttime regimen. Each day was set according to a particular sequence, which included a meal, followed by a bath, a bed-time story, and a getting ready for sleeping. Such consistency helped my daughter anticipate the next steps and minimized the issues associated with the getting ready process, such as going to bed.
We had to take certain measures, particularly in the bedroom, to promote my child’s sleep. There were not too many adjustments done, just to the age of seven it was correct not to overdecorate the bedroom, to reduce the noise levels inside it, and to prevent any changes that would prevent the child from going to bed, not to disturb the child in the sleep more.
Another, critical piece to the puzzle included staying away from all forms of electronic screens or gadgets as the kids watched videos and played games on tablet, cell phone etc. Yet every single time a child participated in these fun activities right before bed, the falling asleep process became lengthy. Shifting the regime slightly so that screen time began no earlier then dinner seemed to do miracles within days.
Changes were not immediate. It was hard but we had to be patient and consistent. There were still some nights when things were hard. After about a month and a half, we began to see the progression.
One of the biggest changes we noticed was in the way that the child was feeling. The child looked unhappy and anxious at times, but compared to before, he did not look as distressed. The meltdowns were still present but they became a bit different in nature – less frequent with higher control measures.
Along with the relaxation in behavior came the improvement of attention, as well as time and space in between classes and their content. The staff member attending the class was sure that the child was paying more attention compared to other children and that the child was more involved in doing tasks.
I could see that communication had also improved. My child had become more enthusiastic, willing to play, and had started expressing his or her needs more frequently. This was not an immediate change but by the time period elapsed, there had been a lot of improvement.
Sleeping improved the entire family as well. Parents with ecteact children (ec and their rear rabies spend their whole day looking after the children, with little time to themselves. When the child’s sleeping pattern normalized, everyone around her started enjoying some good rest as well.
A valuable lesson that I’ve grasped involves how every autistic child is one of a kind. It is impossible to find one measure that can universally bring success with different children. These are good signs and not impediments. They spare parents from the anxiety that their child should always do better at sleep as a mere activity, that it ought to be ‘perfect’.
When I recollect those challenging years spent in this pursuit for understanding, I wish that at an earlier stage I had paid more attention to the aspect of sleeping. It did not cure all afflictions but it went a long way in alleviating many more afflictions. More sleep means a happier and more focus, communicative, overall healthier and more satisfied person.
As far as my family is concerned. Sleep wasn’t just another task parents had to perform as part of the daily schedule. It was in fact among the most effective modalities that ensured my child was able to cope and improve with his health issue.
