6 Tips To Improve Sleep In Autistic Children | Mental Health articles | Emotional & Mental Health center

Some people might not be aware that autism can feature serious sleep problems. One study found that a shocking 86 percent of their sample of autistic children had at least one sleep problem every single day. These included finding it hard to go to bed (54 percent), insomnia (56 percent), parasomnia (abnormal sleep-related occurrences, like sleep walking and talking — 53 percent), trouble getting up (45 percent), and feeling tired or sleepy during the day (31 percent).

Not all of these things are directly related to autism, of course — conditions that often overlap with the autistic spectrum represent a major cause of these sleep disorders. Either way, the result of each of these individual problems is the same, and frustration for children and parents alike are among the consequences of sleep problems in autistic kids.

How can you help your autistic child get a better night's sleep?

First things first: A caveat

Not all of these tips are going to work for every child! Parents of younger children can consider whether a tip may be helpful before trying it out, while parents of older children can consult their child on the matter as well. You can always discuss sleep problems with your child's doctor, psychologist, or other medical professional, as well.

1. What can you do to make your child's bedroom more comfortable for them?

Autistic folks are much more likely than neurotypical ones to be extra sensitive to certain stimuli — and these stimuli can make it hard to go to sleep, stay asleep, or even feel comfortable in their bedrooms at all. If possible, ask your child what bothers them about the environment. It may be loud noises outside, or a tree branch tapping against a window when it's windy, or a light bulb that's too bright or the wrong color, or a temperature that doesn't work for them, or scratchy blankets, or perhaps your child's bedding has a strong smell of laundry detergent. It could also be too quiet — some autistic people go to sleep much more easily with a white noise machine or even a fan.

When the bedroom environment is free of things that bother your child, they may just find that sleeping becomes much easier.

2. Establishing a bedroom routine

Yes, yes, we know — the importance of a bedroom routine is always talked about, for all children. Autistic children, however, are more sensitive to change than others, even to small changes that aren't even on your radar. Something like offering them a drink of water before rather than after tooth brushing, or a change in the formula of their toothpaste, may be rather unsettling and cause problems with going to sleep. The lack of a bedtime routine in which your child knows exactly what to expect has been shown, in research, to increase the risk of dysfunctional sleep in autistic children. Working on creating a routine that works for everyone in your household is a priority, then.

3. Deciding on regular bedtimes

Not everyone has the same natural sleep-wake patterns — some people would, if they could, work through the night and sleep in until noon, while other would prefer getting up at the crack of dawn and hitting the sack at eight in the evening. Autistic people, including children, are more likely to have a natural preference for these kinds of unusual sleeping patterns.

That can be a problem, of course, if your child has to get up for school. You can end up with a situation where you're fighting your child's nature. Still, that can't always be avoided, unless you're homeschooling and you have more freedom to determine your own sleep-wake patterns.

Establishing a rigid bedtime can help kids, including and perhaps especially those on the spectrum, get used to "this just being the way it is" — hopefully leading to fewer struggles and resetting the internal clock to facilitate optimal sleep. When setting a bedtime, consider how much sleep your child would need, on average, for their age and make sure that they get at least that much — count back from the time at which they have to wake up. If you notice that your child does better with more or less sleep, you can adjust the time. The bedtime will also change with age, of course, but you may want to maintain the same bed and wake times during weekends and holiday's for added consistency.

4. Did you know that autistic children cosleep with parents more often? What if you don't want this?

The study mentioned above made this finding, too. We're not going to pass judgment on this practice, which is considered inappropriate in some cultures and totally normal in others, depending on the child's age. What we will say is that your child may, as you've probably noticed, get up and come to you if they can't sleep during the night even when you're not cosleeping. This is especially likely if you previously did cosleep, I'd imagine, since change is hard.

Some parents will find that returning their child to their own bed after seeing there is nothing wrong helps and decreases this kind of thing over time. Some will do this in a Supernanny-esque fashion, where they say "it's bedtime, darling" the first time, "bedtime" the second time, and nothing at all subsequent times. How you handle this is up to you — you may find this approach too harsh, considering that your child may genuinely be distressed about something — but whatever you do, consistency will help.

5. Consider a weighted blanket

Not all autistic people like weighted blankets, but for some, the sensory stimulation they offer can make going to sleep that much easier. The scientific jury is still out on how well they statistically work, but if a weighted blanket can help your individual child, that's good news. Comfort objects like a stuffed animal can also play an important role in offering something tangible to hold on to while trying to go to sleep.

6. Does your child need counseling for anxiety?

Many autistic children suffer from anxiety, something that notoriously gets in the way of a good night's sleep as a person's mind is filled with worries that keep them up. In this case, counseling may be able to help teach your child new coping techniques and adopt healthier thought patterns. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to be promising in autistic children who also suffer from anxiety.

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