Thursday, 28 January 2010
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Autism and Sleeping Through the Night
My son slept through the night last night…in his own bed. He also slept in his own bed the night before and the night before that and a whole six nights before that. That’s now TEN nights in a row that Connor has slept in his own bed. At eight and a half years old, he is finally sleeping on his own. How did we pull it off? I have no idea.It isn’t as though we haven’t been trying for the past eight years or so. On the contrary, we’ve attempted just about every sleeping technique with Connor (but please let let me know if I missed anything): letting him cry it out, medication, bed time routines, sleeping beside him, fairy lights, bedside lamps, sleeping on the floor, story time, snack time, sleeping in the hallway, special pillows, a new bed, weighted blankets, special superhero pajamas, sleeping in a tent, threats, tears, sleeping in a chair and bribes. Finally, a kindly social worker told us, “Forget it for now. Let him sleep with one of you. All of you need your sleep, too.”
That was four years ago, and since then, Connor has been sleeping with either my husband or me (usually my husband, because I tend to make rather loud sleepy noises). And so, Steve and I became used to little feet at our backs, in our sides and occasionally in an ear. We have hugged the three inches of mattress left over from our little one’s creeping snuggle-attempts and have shivered in the cold when our special someone has decided to monopolize the blankets.
But we always kept offering, “Connor, would you like to sleep in your own bed this evening?” And ten nights ago, he finally said YES. And he hasn’t changed his mind so far.
One of the greatest parenting mysteries of all times is when to push and when to let a child develop on his own. I wish I knew the answer, but thank goodness Connor has appeared to have figured this one out by himself.
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Have you had challenges getting yourself, or your child, to sleep?
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About the Author
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- From: autismisnottheboss
- About Me: Hi, I’m Mae, a reluctant housewife, moderate mom, volunteer parent mentor and quiet advocate for people with disabilities. I have a son with a PDD-NOS diagnosis who is fully mainstreamed at his school and within our community. Learn more about me at http://www.autismisnottheboss.com
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Comments (4)
I know you are thrilled! Kudos to Connor!
Kudos for Connor!!
For other parents, I'd recommend the sleepy time technique by Joe Frost (found on supernanny.com). It works MAGIC.
I love it!!! Hope at last!
No more kicks in the night or feet in my ears! Why does he sleep sideways anyway?
However, I will now chase down Heather's suggestion.
Sleeping has always been an issue with people in my family whether diagnosed with anything or not. My sister and I ended up in the same bed for years. Bad dreams had us running for mom and dad's room.
I finally learned to sleep on my own with my cat, Peter. I learned to trust that if he was asleep on my bed or asleep in my room that everything was ok and I could sleep. Peter was my monster detector for nearly seventeen years. He died last Friday... and I have not slept well since. Even though I've been married for the past eleven years... Peter was still my "monster detector."
Julie, my youngest, still won't sleep in her own bed. She ends up sleeping with her brother. Our objective when we move is to see if getting her one of those bed tents gets her to sleep in her own bed. She shares a room with her older sister, but still ends up going and bugging Josh.