Dos and Don’ts of Daylight Savings for Special Needs Kids
For most parents (and sleep coaches), there’s a lot of dread around the one hour difference. It’ll mean earlier mornings, more bedtime protest, interrupted sleep…for a week or so. But for the special needs parent, it might mean weeks or a few months for things to reset…only to have another time change happen. Whether it’s […]
4 Things That Throw off Sleep During Summer
Sleep disturbances are very common in autistic children, and can significantly impact their overall well-being and daily functioning. This is especially true during the summer season. Summertime can disrupt sleep patterns, and exacerbate existing challenges. If your child has been struggling the last few weeks, there are 4 things that you want to be mindful […]
Your Holiday Handbook – Keeping Sleep on Track
So, we can tick Halloween and the time change off our checklist. Good work! And now, it’s time to add the craziness of the holidays: It’s exhausting just listing those things! Here are my top recommendations to THRIVE during the holidays and make sure that your family is still getting a good night’s rest: Write […]
5 Calming Bedtime Activities for Your Child with Special Needs
One of the most important steps to help your child with special needs sleep better is a consistent bedtime routine. This helps the brain and body wind down for sleep, and makes sleep predictable. For a child with special needs, having a consistent routine each nights helps them to calm down and relax after a […]
Best Sleep Environment for Your Child with Special Needs
If your child with special needs struggles to sleep well, something that is often overlooked is the room itself. Your child’s room needs to be ideal for their sleep. Often, that means taking into consideration your child’s sensory needs, mobility, and more. Once your child is in a room that they feel comfortable with, going […]
Sleep Struggles: Your Child with Trisomy 21
Many children with special needs have difficult sleeping well through the night. For a child with Trisomy 21, it is not uncommon for them to deal with a number of issues nightly: Difficulty falling asleep (takes a long time) Restlessness, lots of tossing and turning Wakes up frequently at night Needs help falling asleep Light […]
Your Child’s Vision and Sleep
When it comes to improving a child’s sleep, especially for children with special needs, one thing that parents do need to look at carefully is their child’s vision. For some children, they may have blindness, limited vision, or can be incredible sensitive to light. Our brain is reliant on light and dark changes throughout the […]
Why Sleep Regressions Aren’t a Bad Thing
Nothing strikes fear in the heart of parents more than a sleep regression. No, I’m kidding, but it’s no fun to deal with for sure. Baby wakes up more, spends longer stretches awake (read: up to several hours), and often it keeps parents up more than they really want to be. They often happen around […]
Clean Sleep needs Clean Bedding
Did you know that 1/3 of your pillow’s weight could contain dust mites and their droppings. And that in just within 6 weeks, a pillow can be colonized by these little critters? Gross. Frequently changing your pillow and comforters (especially those made of down), and mattress is the best thing you can do not only […]
Technology and Sleep – Why Sleepwalking Happens
Each day, I get daily updates on all the things coming out with regards to sleep science. This week, one article stood out in particular about sleepwalking and night terrors. Here’s what I found really surprising: Nearly 20% of children are considered regular sleep walkers, and 5% of kids have re-occurring night terrors. That’s a […]
