Why do Autistic Children Suffer from Sleep Issues?

This has to do with the fact their brains and bodies cannot regulate time the same way as other children and they often feel they should be awake when the rest of the world is asleep. With numerous possibilities, the autism sleep issues your child faces can be helped to allow them, and you, to gain a restful night of sleep so everyone can feel rested and relaxed the next day.

With a number of sleep disorders, the autism support centers in your area should be able to help you figure out what to do. Sleep problems can be categorized as:

• Settling problems – difficulty going to sleep

• Waking problems – arising repeatedly during the night

• Social cueing problems – not making the connection with the family going to be and the need to be asleep

• Melatonin issues – a lack of melatonin in their system

• Sensory issues – where feel of the bed might be a trigger for them

• Allergies – food sensitivities or other allergy

• Hypersomnia – too much sleep

With settling and waking problems we often see children who either can fall asleep on a regular schedule but are unable to stay asleep, especially if they wake to use the bathroom. Other children have difficulty falling asleep at all. With this problem a weighted blanket can help a child be able to experience the cozy comfort of a little extra weight on them to help them sleep there can be other factors as well. A child with this issue needs to be monitored and their activities put in a diary to help determine if there are nights the child seems to sleep well and nights they don't. With social cueing problems the child needs to be told its bedtime and have a routine. If they awake when they shouldn't, parents need to put the child back to bed to help them learn the scheduling even if they can't grasp the social cues.

Melatonin issues can be corrected by taking supplements containing the hormone. Sensory issues happen when there is too much stimuli at bed time. To correct this, parents need to create the oasis the child needs to in order to enjoy a restful night of sleep. The allergy issue should be as simple as the melatonin but in reverse, however you may discover some new allergies if the child is allowed to enjoy caffeine or sugar near bedtime. For children with hyper somnia you need to consult your physician, but they may just have too comfortable a room when it's time to get up. Make waking up gentle and try to stick to a routine so they learn to get up when they should.

Any of these issues can present themselves as autism sleep issues and make it difficult for you to figure out what schedule your child should be on. Make use of the autism support given at We Rock the Spectrum Kid's Gym in Santa Monica, CA and learn more about how other parents have addressed the sleep issues with their child to help your child.