Practical ways to teach autistic kids to fall asleep independently using bedtime routines, visual schedules, and gentle sleep training techniques.
Autism is a disorder on the spectrum that affects many kids when it comes to sleep. Whether it is that some struggles with sleep because their minds do not switch off, or others are so attached that a parent has to stay until they fall asleep. This usually does not come easy, but helping an autistic child to sleep on is possible and it can be done in intervals.
In facilitating bed making, much patience and looking into the smaller issues is in order. It will not occur overnight, but the children will feel comfortable and less anxious at night as they get to experience gradual changes.
Step one starts with having a standard procedure to indicate that bedtime is approaching. Children with autism are known to take it easy and adjust fast when the routine is provided to them. Every night make an attempt to repeat the same pattern of programmed activities. This includes taking a bath, putting on night clothes, washing teeth, reading a story and finally switching off the lights to go to bed. It is less frustrating if the line remains unbroken.
Additionally, having a visual time management friendly timetable of bedtime is also recommended for an autistic child. This would include relaxation techniques like taking deep breaths. That is, the child is presented with cards, showing what activities must be done and when to prepare for bedtime. Most of the time, it will make the flows go smoother and bath time struggles are minimized.
Create a cozy, serene environment inside the bedroom so as to achieve children’s comfort and safety. In any case, individuals with ASD can still have problems with environmental factors such as light, sound, or rough materials. In case a trouble comes with the light, I recommend the use of blackout curtains. Select homely bedding, in the colors and textures you know would appeal to the child and take away any other things that may lead to the child being awake.
Unless absolutely necessary, screens should be avoided one hour before sleep. worst case scenario, they can trigger cognitive dissonance and it may take long hours before one can be finally at peace. At that hour, however, it would be great to resort activities that do not involve a lot of noise such as drawing, doing jigsaw puzzles or sitting done to read a book.
If you child relies on your presence, do not leave abruptly but try a gradual method. Do not attempt to put a distance between yourself and them on the first try. Instead, keep sitting at the bedside for a number of days and then shift your position to a chair which a space can be managed for a night or a few, and so on. Eventually, it should be acceptable for you to be at the door of their room and then finally outside the room. Such a childcare technique is typical in calming a child who is weaning from sleeping in the company of another person to help them learn to sleep alone.
Protective objects or soothing mechanisms are considered important to the child. Sometimes a teddy bear, a lap pad with intended use certified by a healthcare professional or even a well known pillow can work in favor of the child as tea time approaches.
Endeavor to use comforting strategies before they nod off. Strategies that may include deep breathing, mild exercises for muscles, and slow tempo music could ease the person. These interventions must be brief and few.
Observe the routine of the child on a daily basis. Physical activities done during the day should help improve the ability to fall asleep at night. However, too much physical exercise should not be done as this will most likely elevate the levels of estrogens and impede the ability to hibernate.
Within every 24 hours and sometimes during physical separation of a few days let the main body of aided fall into line with the time individuals sleep and awaken. In the end, everyone will have gotten used to predictable sleep and waking hours and it would have happened as timed.
It’s significant to mention that as parents we should always avoid letting our young children get into a habit of doing things in order to fall asleep when inside the parent’s room or family car especially while travelling for a long distance. But if a child always slept while being rocked then their inability to sleep on their own will start causing problems later. The peace of mind that these bedtime routines gives to the children, can be interfered with in the long run, by starting to reduce these associations and the child learns to sleep on their own.
It is worth noting that there are no overnight successes. Some nights will be easy while others will be heart breaking. So be understanding and appreciate even the smallest change in behavior and improvement instead of being in a hurry because with patience comes perfection.
If a child continue to have sleep disturbances for a very long period, then do not hesitate to consult with the pediatrician. The sleeping issues could be connected to psychological reasons such as anxiety, gastrointestinal problems, obstructive sleep apnea and other clinical illnesses that needs intervention.
Most of these troubles can be addressed with persistence and sensitivity to all one’s worries, and with time the majority of autistic children will be able to put themselves to sleep and develop better sleep hygiene.
