I have overcome autism for the most part. It used to be really bad a few years ago when I was little. I only spoke to my family or whenever my teacher asked me a question, which wasn't that often. Needless to say I was an extreeme case. ;-D Anyway sometimes I will wake up like, in the middle of the night and my covers will just be on the floor. I apparently move around and my relatives say I talk in my sleep, so this little guy is definatly not alone. Just make sure he doesn't hurt himself. :-/
try getting an HHA (home health aide). i am an hha and also work with autism and he also has problems sleeping at night. but i am here from 3-9 on the weekdays and 8-2 on weekends.
I am so glad my hubby tag teams with me. It can controll your whole life. My child sleeps 5 or 6 hours and is up as if he has rested all night. It used to be worse when he was younger. He has gone three days without sleeping much at all. It's 4:14 am right now and in a few hours my dh will take over.
My son used to do this till he was 2. He slept 45 minutes at a time (day or night). We put him on Melatonin which helped him to sleep 1 1/2 hours at a time. Then we were fortunate enough to find an herbalist who recommended bee pollen. It really worked for him. It took about a year & slowly we saw improvment. He now sleeps 8 hours a night. You might want to check with an herbalist if you haven 't already went that route. I know different things work for different people. I wish you all the best!
It's possible that my nephew that is autistic may be coming to stay with us. He is eleven and is now living with his single parent father. His father is struggling also. My husband used to work with autistic children before and I have worked the last 2 years in the school system as a teacher aide working with autistic children. My heart really went out for you. I am sorry that your son is having to go through this.
we have the same problem. my child who was diagnosed with autism has been sleeping every 4 am or 5 am. his doctor prescribed him with risperdal. 1\4 tablet at bedtime. now for 2 consecutive nights, he now sleeps at 12 midnight. and thats for 1 wk only... god bless us all parents who have wonderful and amazing children like we both have!!!!!!!!
Isn't it horrible? My autistic daughter did this for several years; thankfully she seems to be growing out of it; it's so horrible when neither the parent or the child sleeps. At age 5 1/2 she sleeps with me a lot of nights but will sometimes stay in her own bed all night now. Dietary changes have helped and we are also going to treat her for yeast and see if that improves her sleep.
OMG im so sorry but my dd is autistic but i never had tis probalem thank god...I wanna help but i dont know how...Try to sleep with him and maybe you can hold him really tight and he may like that .Music...But if it was me i'd say fugg that im giving your ass a tylenol pm to knock you out for awhile. I dont know how you are coping you must be going through it. I feel so messed up if i dont get atleast 7 hours a night
have you tried a sleeping bag? i know it sounds silly, but many autistic kids really enjoy the feeling of being wrapped up. or if you kind of make a fort out of cushions so he's almost squeezed in- not so he can't get out, but if he has the sensation of being surrounded, that's a comforting feeling to them. like a lot of kids will go under the cushions of a couch and want people to sit on them. i'm not explaining myself very well here... :( anyway, it's worth a try.
btw, he's really adorable. did you know that most autistic kids are considered above average and more attractive than non-autistic kids? it's true, statistically. not sure what it means, but my theory is that it's a compensatory adaptation that makes parents more responsive to them because they are not able to "give back" the way non-autistic kids do (ie w/ affection, etc) anyway, just thought i'd mention it. i thought it was interesting.
well at least he's getting sleep!i know you've probably read a billion things, but there's a book i read a few months ago written by an autistic woman. it's called "Animals in Translation" by Temple Grandin and it gives a lot of insight into autism- from a unique perspective. she used to be nearly non-functional but kind of "forced herself" out of it. the book has a lot of great ideas and insights i've never heard before. anyway, hope all is well!
yeah, she is! i have to read that one. does she talk about the squeeze machine she built for herself as a teenager? that's what makes me think of the sleeping bag and cushions.
My 25 year old brother, who has severe autism, also does this, has been doing this all of his life:( The only treatment that will cause change in this behavior is medication (those that cause sleep as a side effect while controlling outbursts work best). There is no set pattern for giving these meds, you just have to familiarize yourself enough to know when to give it and when to hold back or when to increase it;sometimes the thing that caused a good change can cause irritableness. Good Luck:)
As I mentioned, its best to use a med where sleep is a SIDE EFFECT; sleeping pills do not work with Autism. A low dose of Risperdal, Thorazine or Benadryl (only give if no psychotropic drugs are given) always works for my brother. The reason he is not sleeping is a behavioral problem and must be treated as such with psychotropic medication. He is suffering as much as you are and he needs these meds to help balance his brain chemistry.
I have overcome autism for the most part. It used to be really bad a few years ago when I was little. I only spoke to my family or whenever my teacher asked me a question, which wasn't that often. Needless to say I was an extreeme case. ;-D Anyway sometimes I will wake up like, in the middle of the night and my covers will just be on the floor. I apparently move around and my relatives say I talk in my sleep, so this little guy is definatly not alone. Just make sure he doesn't hurt himself. :-/
TheSnowyice 11 months ago
try getting an HHA (home health aide). i am an hha and also work with autism and he also has problems sleeping at night. but i am here from 3-9 on the weekdays and 8-2 on weekends.
gopilall 1 year ago
I am so glad my hubby tag teams with me. It can controll your whole life. My child sleeps 5 or 6 hours and is up as if he has rested all night. It used to be worse when he was younger. He has gone three days without sleeping much at all. It's 4:14 am right now and in a few hours my dh will take over.
Huggs to you!
conduirty 2 years ago
My son used to do this till he was 2. He slept 45 minutes at a time (day or night). We put him on Melatonin which helped him to sleep 1 1/2 hours at a time. Then we were fortunate enough to find an herbalist who recommended bee pollen. It really worked for him. It took about a year & slowly we saw improvment. He now sleeps 8 hours a night. You might want to check with an herbalist if you haven 't already went that route. I know different things work for different people. I wish you all the best!
outofthebox3 2 years ago
It's possible that my nephew that is autistic may be coming to stay with us. He is eleven and is now living with his single parent father. His father is struggling also. My husband used to work with autistic children before and I have worked the last 2 years in the school system as a teacher aide working with autistic children. My heart really went out for you. I am sorry that your son is having to go through this.
DearestBecky 2 years ago
we have the same problem. my child who was diagnosed with autism has been sleeping every 4 am or 5 am. his doctor prescribed him with risperdal. 1\4 tablet at bedtime. now for 2 consecutive nights, he now sleeps at 12 midnight. and thats for 1 wk only... god bless us all parents who have wonderful and amazing children like we both have!!!!!!!!
yrrehc0838 2 years ago
Isn't it horrible? My autistic daughter did this for several years; thankfully she seems to be growing out of it; it's so horrible when neither the parent or the child sleeps. At age 5 1/2 she sleeps with me a lot of nights but will sometimes stay in her own bed all night now. Dietary changes have helped and we are also going to treat her for yeast and see if that improves her sleep.
StarbucksCoffeeFreak 3 years ago
Stephen would go on 2 hours sleep when he was his age.
Medication helps him and you. I support your decision on meds.
LettyVLO1 3 years ago
OMG im so sorry but my dd is autistic but i never had tis probalem thank god...I wanna help but i dont know how...Try to sleep with him and maybe you can hold him really tight and he may like that .Music...But if it was me i'd say fugg that im giving your ass a tylenol pm to knock you out for awhile. I dont know how you are coping you must be going through it. I feel so messed up if i dont get atleast 7 hours a night
SexySasha2000 3 years ago
check out video response! we finally found a sleep medication
tickanie 3 years ago
I'm so sorry your little boy has to go through this as well as you. I wish I had something to help the both of you.
pickles2626 3 years ago
have you tried a sleeping bag? i know it sounds silly, but many autistic kids really enjoy the feeling of being wrapped up. or if you kind of make a fort out of cushions so he's almost squeezed in- not so he can't get out, but if he has the sensation of being surrounded, that's a comforting feeling to them. like a lot of kids will go under the cushions of a couch and want people to sit on them. i'm not explaining myself very well here... :( anyway, it's worth a try.
july7nyc 3 years ago
btw, he's really adorable. did you know that most autistic kids are considered above average and more attractive than non-autistic kids? it's true, statistically. not sure what it means, but my theory is that it's a compensatory adaptation that makes parents more responsive to them because they are not able to "give back" the way non-autistic kids do (ie w/ affection, etc) anyway, just thought i'd mention it. i thought it was interesting.
july7nyc 3 years ago
Sleeping bag not working but sleeping pills are! He loves his sleeping bag just not for sleeping! lol silly boy!
tickanie 3 years ago
well at least he's getting sleep!i know you've probably read a billion things, but there's a book i read a few months ago written by an autistic woman. it's called "Animals in Translation" by Temple Grandin and it gives a lot of insight into autism- from a unique perspective. she used to be nearly non-functional but kind of "forced herself" out of it. the book has a lot of great ideas and insights i've never heard before. anyway, hope all is well!
july7nyc 3 years ago
Yep I have read some of Temple's books! I read thinking in pictures she is an amazing woman!
tickanie 3 years ago
yeah, she is! i have to read that one. does she talk about the squeeze machine she built for herself as a teenager? that's what makes me think of the sleeping bag and cushions.
july7nyc 3 years ago
My 25 year old brother, who has severe autism, also does this, has been doing this all of his life:( The only treatment that will cause change in this behavior is medication (those that cause sleep as a side effect while controlling outbursts work best). There is no set pattern for giving these meds, you just have to familiarize yourself enough to know when to give it and when to hold back or when to increase it;sometimes the thing that caused a good change can cause irritableness. Good Luck:)
purplefluxcrush 3 years ago
we are looking into medicines as we speak he is already on a sleep aid but obviously it isn't working!
tickanie 3 years ago
As I mentioned, its best to use a med where sleep is a SIDE EFFECT; sleeping pills do not work with Autism. A low dose of Risperdal, Thorazine or Benadryl (only give if no psychotropic drugs are given) always works for my brother. The reason he is not sleeping is a behavioral problem and must be treated as such with psychotropic medication. He is suffering as much as you are and he needs these meds to help balance his brain chemistry.
Hope this helps. (Soft music helps too)
purplefluxcrush 3 years ago
must be really tough, hang in there and be strong, there's bound to be a change in the sleeping pattern eventually
daytonamarc 3 years ago