Hi, my name is jgidi!

jgidi · October 2024

My 9yr old autistic grandson finds it difficult to fall asleep at night. Never ask about day time, he rarely takes a day time nap. He wakes up early and falls asleep late. Will it help if I am a bit more strict with the bedtime routine or be a bit more flexible?

durhamjaide2001 · October 2024

hi and welcome to the community first I want to suggest having a look at the coffee lounge for some light hearted conservations and I would recommend the games den for some fun.

In terms of sleep has your grandchild tried something called Meltonin? If not I would suggest that you ask the GP next time you are there.

Sandy_123 · October 2024

@Jdi231 welcome, it might be worth a try with bedtime routine. My grandson is waiting for assessments, they can take years we've been told, he is up early no matter what time he goes to bed.

We tend to take him out to run around even on the park, just to get rid of his energy, then an hour before bed we try wind down time . It's trail and error

Jimm_Alumni · October 2024

Hey @jgidi, welcome to the community 😊 I can understand how stressful it must be, not being sure about which is the right way to go about this. I'll see if our family services have any ideas that could help.

Our advice pages also have a sleep tips section which might be of some help: Helping your disabled child sleep | Disability charity Scope UK

jgidi · October 2024

Hi durhamjaide2001, Sandy_123, Jimm_Scope

Thank you all for you responses to my dilemma. Melatonin, yes, was prescribed for him after attending sleep clinic. We have tried him on the prescribed dosage of 2mg, but we did not notice any significant change in his sleep pattern.

We are continuing with that prescription and other strategies like a run in the park, taking some walks after school, going on long bus rides and play on the trampoline + swing-swing, all in the hope to wear him down before bedtime. We will increase these activities over time to see if it would help.

Thanks Jimm, In fact I have have read through that article "Helping your disabled child sleep | Disability charity Scope UK" which I found useful and real. But it appears like there must be something else that we have to do.

We are trying to implement a bedtime routine as efficiently as we can. I knew that routine worked well when he was younger between 3 and 6 yrs. That include reading bedtime stories which, he never liked to miss. I will tell you a bit more about what happened to this bedtime stories routine in my next post.

I am still looking forward to more suggestions/advice/support, since this is one of the most concerning of the many problems (you know what I mean) that we have.

Thanks for your support

Jodie_Scope · November 2024

Good afternoon @jgidi

Welcome to the community.

Thank you for reaching out and asking for advice.

It is usually best to stick to a regular bedtime routine, however I appreciate this is easier said than done, so good for you for sticking with it!

An implementation than many parents/carers use for children with autism and difficulty sleeping is something that can be referred to as ‘the golden hour’ you might have read about it on the Scope website.

This is the hour before the child’s bedtime. Or the time you would ideally like them to be in bed. It is made up of calming activities to help the child relax and unwind.

Every child is different so your grandson may not like all these things but here are some suggestions:

All screens recommended to be turned off 1 hour before bed

Sensory suggestions – Provide a sensory feely bag. Hand eye co-ordination activities such as puzzles or colouring (individual to the child’s preferences). Calm Bottle. Scents diffuser.

Massage in the golden hour if they like touch, the child may want either like light touch or prefer deep pressure.

You could give the child a light snack such as a 'sleepy food' or 'sleepy drink' during the golden hour. These are foods or drinks that contain natural melatonin for example milk, yoghurt, cheese, fish, bananas, apples and bread.

After a drink and snack children can’t then use hunger or thirst as an excuse when trying to avoid going to bed.

Weighted blankets must be made specifically to the child’s weight help some children feel secure.

An activity for you:

Lay on the child’s bed to get a feel of what it is like. What can you feel/smell/hear/see? What is on the window? Are you comfy? Any screens or distractions? Are there clothes on the back of the door or posters causing scary shadows? This is a good activity for you to try so you see the bedroom through the child’s eyes.

Keep persevering, you’re doing a great job.

Good luck!

Jodie 😊

jgidi · November 2024

Hi Jodie_Scope

Thanks for your suggestions. I will rejig our bedtime routine to include your suggestions.

Thinking about your suggestions, I believe the "golden hour" is an important part of the routine. I realise that it should not be a matter of looking at the time then "oh it's 8 o'clock, bed time, lets go". A process must start which draws his (the child's) attention to the time, then the winding down activities continue until the desired result is possibly achieved. May be we tweak the routine a bit to suit the child's unique condition.

Yes, Jodie thanks a lot for your advice.

Bes t regards

Jonathan