Sleep and Autism Part 2

How do we help our child to stay in bed and sleep through the night?

The key to this question is to teach your child how to fall asleep alone. This is important because each time they wake up at night they will put themselves back to sleep the same way they fell asleep at the start of the night.

Some tips to help your child to sleep through the night:

·      Establish a sleep object such as a lullaby, soft toy or blanket to help them soothe themselves to sleep

·      Have your child sleep in their own bed. Easier said than done? I know as a mother of two young kids myself this is the absolute dream but how do we even get here?

-       Gradually fade your presence out of the room

-       You may want to sit on a chair next to your child’s bed instead of lying in bed with him/her and try not to interact with your child

-       As the nights go by, gradually start to move the chair further away from the bed with the objective of having the chair completely faded and outside of the room

-       If you need to go back into the room remember to keep all interactions short and boring e.g. “ you are fine, I will check on you later, now go to sleep” before you leave again.

-       Systematically increase the time before you go back into the room to check on your child.

-       Consider using a chance card for your child, which allows him/her to exchange it for one hug/kiss/ visit from mum and dad during the night (autism speaks, 2023)

-       If your child gets out of bed, especially in the middle of the night, bring your child back to bed as fast as you can in a neutral manner without creating a fuss. Your child will realize over time that they wont be getting any attention for getting out of bed at night.

-       Reinforce your child in the morning for staying in their own bed all night.

Patience, persistence is important and just keep your eye on the prize- more sleep for everyone!