does anyone have any ideas on how to get a child with autism to sleep? we have tried melatonin

Claudia - posted on 04/27/2010

The door to sleepyland has been to get him in the gluteen free diet!

Every body recomended it, but take me long to convince myself to try it. However a couple days after gluteen was removed... he sleep close to 9:30 hrs. at night!!! even now, more than 6 hours at night with out the 2, 3, or 4 o'clock wake ups make a great diference.



We still trying to figured out the compleat diet stuff, but after 3 years with no sleep time, it's really a miracle!!! Thanks God we try it and works!!!



Plus, a routine always helps, for us has been diaper, jammies, brush his teeth, prayers and story time. We have to be with him (doing something not interested to him) to keep him on his bed, so, stick to your routine. Sometimes it takes 2 hrs, and sometimes 20 minutes for him to fall sleep, but the diet has been really a big difference!

Gwen - posted on 04/27/2010

Try using lavender aromatherapy only use the pure lavender essential oil you only need a drop or two to a whole bottle of sorbelene cream or into any good baby cream and rub in or use in bath time in evenings. Routine is a must for these kids.

Emily - posted on 04/26/2010

I've tried everything from laying with my 5 yr old daughter to sitting outside her doo until she fell asleep. I got her a weighted blanket last year and that helped. She will now kick the blanket it off when she knows she doesn't need it. I found her blanket on ebay. Good luck!

Marina - posted on 04/26/2010

the only thing that works for me is to lay with my son and ask about his day whilst stroking his back , it really calms him down and helps relax him.

Pam - posted on 04/26/2010

I dont know about your son but my son is obsesed with light so I brought him a small torch and let him have that when he goes to bed it only has a dim light but it seems to calm him and help him to go to sleep, every now and again he wakes at 3 and jumps into bed with us, if u are like me I tried everything to keep him in bed and this seems to help

Aj - posted on 04/25/2010

this is close to my heart my son has been through sleep centres and to be honest most dont tell u that much more then any mum would have already tried so i went looking around on line and i found some fantastic relaxtion calming cds especally aimed at children also some very calming storys on cd so now i put him to bed and in every way do what mums do the tuck ins the short story and the stroking to get him calmer but then put one of the cds on he now chooses the one he wants too . i wont say it works everytime but for half the week im not chasing him bck into the bed at 3 am i just typed in google sleep help and aids for kids and a whole list of stuff came up
hope this helps

Julianne - posted on 04/25/2010

my daughter doesnt sleep some nights but is happy to play in her room so we put a lock on her door, so she cant wander, and let her play.

Karryn - posted on 04/25/2010

thank goodness lorraine, i'm going nuts over here..

Karryn - posted on 04/25/2010

he does not take naps at all, we have tried, he will not do it... thanks sheri

Karryn - posted on 04/25/2010

i heard alot about them, never really looked into one, but i really would like to now thanks june..

Karryn - posted on 04/25/2010

thank you elaine, the only music he likes is bon jovi, can you believe that, so we play the softer ones.. for him to sleep

Karryn - posted on 04/25/2010

thank you tena

Karryn - posted on 04/25/2010

we are going to try the diet and a weighted blanket and see if that helps, we have the routine, i hoe all of this will help him get some slee, thank you stacy

Stacey - posted on 04/24/2010

Our son has been on a routine since he was 10 months and this seems to have helped, we are also trying a weighted blanket at the moment. Have you tried the bath/ milk drink/ bed time story routine to calm and relax them? You could also try massage. Have you thought about how diet may effect sleep? We have our son on the gfcf (gluten-free/ casein-free) diet, but you may also find that some kids cannot handle much sugar or dyes or artificial flavours etc. Just a thought.

Tena - posted on 04/24/2010

clonidine does help as a last resort,weighted blanket, rise early and also believe this one an arsolating fan, it hums,aim it kinda upward and let it do its thing the speed is about medium low and the air roaming the room keeps the air fresh and non stuffy,but most important is a consistant schedule day n and day out i know yur tired of yur dr.s sayin it but it is so true.i have six children and one autistic one aspergers and one possible aspergers and one mentally retarded so yes a system has to be there for them all to go to bed and you have sanity to get up and do it all over again tomorrow. and by the way the kids ages range from 5 to 17 so it can be done,feel free to contact me anytime if i can help

Elaine - posted on 04/24/2010

Our son has always had music to fall asleep.. His monitor was voice activated and played music when he would scream and calm him down... also lights, we had some flashing lights to provide him with enough sensory input to satisfy him. he is now five and we have moved on to the clock radio. He presses the sleep button in the middle of the night then goes back to bed. We are very lucky that this has worked for us since the begining. :)

JUNE - posted on 04/24/2010

have you tryed a body sock yet it calms my son .he goes in there then i rub his head .

Sheri - posted on 04/23/2010

I reduced the naps with mine and then laid down with him until he was asleep. I comforted him and told silly stories and read books.

Lorraine - posted on 04/23/2010

oh my goodness.. I thougt it was only my child who was allergic to sleep!!! SOOOOOO wonderful to know we're not alone!!!!

Anne - posted on 04/23/2010

my son, who is now 17, went through this. I used to lay with him, but that becomes a pattern very hard to break, he does take melatonin - if he is really stressed out about something. But what I started to do when he was about 6 was a schedule, he was allowed to pick 2 movies/shows, when they were over it was bed time, even if he couldn't fall asleep right away ( in the begining ) he had to stay in bed, it was tough at first, then I put a air purifier in his room, and that did wonders. I also ALWAYS reinforced that the melatonin WAS going to make him sleepy ( mind over matter ) and that it always made me very sleepy. Between the schedule, the melatonin, ( the reinforcement of it make him sleepy ) and the noise air purifier - it was finally sweet dreams. Every child is different, so you may have to mix it up. Good luck

Karryn - posted on 04/23/2010

thank you very much elizabeth

Elizabeth - posted on 04/22/2010

I made my son two different weighted blankets (the second one because he outgrew the first), with a basic pattern I will try to explain. Send me a message if you want more detailed instructions. I basically made a blanket with pockets to stuff with removable bags of pinto beans. Other people have used fillers that can be washed, but I couldn't find those kinds of pellets when I made my first one, so I simply removed the baggies each week when I washed it. The pockets closed with velcro - my son was not one to take them out so this worked for me. Also, the pockets kept the weight from moving around while he slept, and I could fill only half of them at first, and the blanket was able to be made heavier as he grew.

I used a single sheet of fabric for the back. Then I cut strips of fabric slightly larger than a sandwich baggie, plus the amount of fabric I needed for the velcro (1/2 inch or so). These strips go lengthwise on the single back sheet. Then I hemmed one side of the long strips, and sewed them onto the blanket, being sure the leave overlap for the pocket to velcro close. I taped it together with sheets of paper first to make sure I could envision how to sew it. After I sewed all the long strips on, to make the pockets, I sewed down the blanket in the other direction, again making sure that the pockets were wide enough to accommodate a sandwich baggie. After sewing all the pocket edges, I added velcro dots to close each pocket (my first blanket had long strips of velcro, but it was a pain for me to sew on, so the second one had dots - if you're a better seamstress, or you need a more secure closure, go with the strips of velcro).

Then I hemmed the whole thing. Hope this helps! Sorry I don't know how to post a picture to show you what I did. I can send one if you send me a message.

April - posted on 04/22/2010

we use liquid meltion here it works I think much better than the pills

Cheryl - posted on 04/22/2010

I know where you are coming from, its almost like they are "allergic to sleep". My daughter didnt actuall sleep through the night (4-6 hrs) until she was 8 yrs old. She wasnt cranky or anything, she just happens to be one of those people who doesnt need much sleep. I on the other hand need sleep. Have you talked to the doctor about other alternatives? My daughter was put on low dose of Strattera (no stimulate) it helped, come to find out it was due to anxiety. She has PDD, its a side effect (along with ADD/ADHD)

Jackie - posted on 04/22/2010

Do you set a routine for your child? Most autistic children do great with a routine. My son gets melatonin and hes great with it. Before that though I fed him at the same time every night, then immediately to the bath. I let him wear hisself out in the bathtub. I have a local friend that says her son is a water baby too.Its very calming to them.

Catherine - posted on 04/22/2010

another thing i have i have had to do with my 7 year old is just sitting next to the bed as this reassures him he im there and he feels safe also having the light on as he has sensory problems and needs the light on there have been many things we have had to do but we have been lucky that the melatonin has worked for both boys as they would be awake till midnight without medication have you tried herbal rememedies ask your chemist this has also helped another is mp player with the right calming music has also worked my 6 year old has his blanket friend any attachment they have works another is rewarding them for going to bed and giving them something in the morning for good sleeping in the bed even though by the morning we usually have all 3 in our bed they can be quiet wen they want

Marissa - posted on 04/22/2010

You can make your own using this tutorial http://crapivemade.blogspot.com/search?q...

Karryn - posted on 04/22/2010

wow i'm real glad for all the advice you guys are giving me. thank you

Becky - posted on 04/22/2010

We have to put our son to bed by laying next to him and holding his hands until he falls asleep. I hold his hands with one hand and put my other arm over him for the weight - it calms the wiggles. We have a fan going on low for the white noise, and also keep a CD player going with "Goodnight Guitar" (by Ray Penney - got it on Amazon) on repeat all night. We also use black-out curtains because any light makes him think it is "awake-time". He still uses a pacifier (he is 4 1/2) at bedtime, and he is now beginning to use it to self-soothe if he wakes up in the middle of the night. We still have to get up to put him back to bed a few nights a week, but instead of 3-4 times each night it is 1-2 times per night and way less often. Good luck! :)

Samantha - posted on 04/22/2010

whear can I buy a weighted blanket ? My 4 year old allso can't sleep though the night!!
thank you moms

Karryn - posted on 04/22/2010

thank you very much

Lorraine - posted on 04/22/2010

Hi Karryn, I have a Twelve year old son who has only been sleeping on his own for two months!!!! We have had to lie with him.. sleep with him.. etc etc. What helped for us was a week on melatonin.. and we did "sleep training" almost like you do for babies..... also.. a reward at the end of a week (ours was a new playstation game) well.. guess what.. it worked. every now and then he asks for a melatonin.. but on the whole he can sleep without it. I have also put a "larvae lamp" in his room and he falls asleep watching it!

Amy - posted on 04/22/2010

I am lucky, both of my ASD babies have always been good sleepers, but I have a friend who has a son with Asperger's who had difficulties sleeping and she got a weighted blanket for him. That was all it took for him to sleep through the night without issue.

Karryn - posted on 04/22/2010

thanks

Catherine - posted on 04/21/2010

my boys both have autism and for us the melatonin is working but another thing to try with the tablet is by using lavender oil its does wonders on my son who is full on it calms him which enables tabs to work another than not sure how old is he

Elizabeth - posted on 04/21/2010

Weighted blankets and epsom salt baths right before bed worked in our house. Good luck!

Karryn - posted on 04/21/2010

i will try weighted blankets thanks ladies

Marissa - posted on 04/21/2010

For my 2.5 year old, we did bath, melatonin, weighted blanket, and me laying down with him. He was going to sleep but not maintaining sleep. Now we do clonidine.

Karryn - posted on 04/21/2010

wow all these seems so good, caden is 4 years and does not nap and does not go to sleep until 2-3 a.m and he has been to the sleep center. nothing is wrong with him.

Gianina - posted on 04/21/2010

I had similar problem until I have my son, warm bath and used Johnson & Johnson calming soap (liquid). Then rubbed him down for sensory input. He felt clean and calmed. THEN I turned on soft 'walt disney' songs. He is now 20 yrs old, and he still loves his bath and music. He falls a sleep within minutes.

Karryn - posted on 04/21/2010

thank you all for your help

Victoria - posted on 04/21/2010

Good luck..mine are 3 1/2 and I use Melatonin, weighted blankets, etc. etc. and some nights are good and sometimes I am up 5 or 6 times. The thing that has helped me most is to not stress about it (easier said than done). I also put in an inground trampoline and try to wear them out during the day!

Tina - posted on 04/20/2010

thats what i use but it still takes about 30 mins someone suggested a fan to drown out noises for them to fall asleep or a weighted blanket hope this helps tina

Kimberly - posted on 04/20/2010

For my Aspie, satin was a big comfort to her. She had satin pillowcases all growing up. She's now 19 years old and she still has satin on all her pillows. Find some kind of object or fabric that is very comforting and let them try to self soothe with it.

Tammy - posted on 04/20/2010

the only thing that works for me is i lay down next to him and either give him a pat or stroke his head it really calms him down and he s ready to go to bed. Nothing else worked for my son i did thought have to put his bed in my room for safety reasons as he was walking around in the middle of the night.