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April 22, 2015 by Angela Walsh 2 Comments

Sleep Challenges in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

 Adorable toddler girl taking a nap in a white bed

April is National Autism Awareness Month. Not long ago I was a guest speaker on It’s Your Health Network to discuss the impact of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) on a child’s sleep. Here are some of the key points:

Children with ASD experience difficulty falling asleep as well as staying asleep. These children may wake throughout the night, and/or wake very early in the morning. In addition, they can experience physical and environmental issues that can make getting a good night’s sleep even more difficult. Like all children, a lack of sleep can cause negative behavioural effects during the day, as well as have an impact on the sleep patterns of the parents.


Establish a bedtime ritual:

Fortunately, there are several ways that parents can help improve the sleep of children with ASD.  Bedtime rituals are important for all children, but especially so with children who have ASD. Such rituals include relaxing, predictable activities that prevent heightened stimulation for the child, that may otherwise make it difficult for them to fall asleep. A recommendation I give to my parents, is to create a visual bedtime schedule for the child that includes details such as:

  •  When to say goodnight to everyone
  •  When to close the curtains
  •  When to pull up the covers

Because autistic children are visual learners, the visual bedtime schedule can include images of each bedtime activity for the child to follow along. I also recommend that you begin to remove objects that create stimuli prior to bedtime, by turning off the computer or television one hour before. It is important that family members incorporate these bedtime rituals into their evenings as well.  The home should become a calming environment around bedtime to help promote sleep. Parents and other siblings can help the ritual by turning down the lights before bedtime, which helps to induce the production of melatonin-the sleep hormone.

Create a calming environment:
With the increased sensitivity to environmental stimuli for children with ASD, I have some recommendations that may help children have an easier time fall asleep and stay asleep.  It is important to note, that not all children will react the same way to triggers, and you may need to try a few alternative methods.

  •  Carefully moderate the temperature of the child’s room as their child may be sensitive to being too warm or too cold
  •  Children with ASD are sensitive to touch, therefore try a footed pajama or bare feet to see what suits them best
  •  There can be a sensitivity to seams in clothing or bedding, so ensure pajamas and sheets are extra soft and not irritating  
  •  Children with ASD may be irritated by tight fitting clothing, so try pajamas that are loose and not too clingy
  •  Music or white noise can help some children settle into sleep. Alternatively, if noise is an issue for your child, you may try ear plugs or headphones to block out sound
  •  Smell can bother children, so avoid scented candles, strong smelling fabric softeners, or cleansers.
  •  A weighted blanked is helpful, as the deep pressure can help to relieve anxiety and calm children with ASD. However, weighted blankets can only be used by older children, as they are a hazard to a younger child. Please check with the manufacturer of the blanket before proceeding

As children move through the many ages and stages of development, it can be difficult to maintain a healthy sleep pattern. For children who suffer from the symptoms of ASD and are overly sensitive to outside stimuli, proper sleep hygiene can be challenging. But no matter what your child’s background, the common theme is that sleep is vital to healthy development and overall well-being.

Thanks to wonderful organizations that have developed over the years to help increase awareness and understanding of ASD, parents now have many resources to help ensure that their child achieves the highest quality of life. If your child is having sleep issues which is making their symptoms worse, I am able to help you implement a sleep plan that will get your child sleeping comfortably, and improve the quality of their life and yours. For more information on my services, please check out my Sleep Success Plans to see if there is one that fits you or feel free to contact me directly.

Please let me know if you found this information helpful!

Angela Walsh is a Family Sleep Institute, Certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant and the founder of Babes in Sleepland. She helps sleep deprived babies, children and families, get back on track and get the sleep they need and desire. To learn more about Angela and how she can help you, visit her website: babesinsleepland.com.  Also get sleep tips, the latest research on baby and child products, and be part of her weekly Q and A at her Facebook page: Babes in Sleepland.

Filed Under: certified child sleep consultant, child sleep expert, How can i get my ASD child to sleep properly, Special Needs Children and Sleep

March 13, 2015 by Angela Walsh Leave a Comment

How Did You Survive the Time Change?

 

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 I was just reading an article entitled Changing the Clocks Wasn’t Good for Your Relationships. Well speaking personally I wouldn’t go that far, but I would say I found it very difficult.  Each morning it was a struggle getting out of bed and I never seemed tired at night when the clock said 10PM (my usual bedtime!)  All I can say is, I sympathize with those young families whose children weren’t tired at bedtime, and could not get up in the morning for school.  As well as those babies and toddlers who really had trouble with their morning and afternoon nap schedules.  I’m hoping many of you read my article offering sleep tips for the time change. http://www.myprgenie.com/view-publication/daylight-saving-time-to-spring-ahead-sleep-tips-by-babes-in-sleepland,  

Well to get to the main point of this, the article I referred to at the beginning discusses how a lack of sleep and sleep deprivation has negative consequences to relationships, (and I would add to families and the work place.)  In particular, we act more selfishly, we become more volatile and impulsive, and we have less control over our emotions.  At home, we are more likely to argue with our loved ones!

In research published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, participants were shown more likely to have selfish tendencies and unable to see their partner’s perspective, when they slept poorly.  Serena Chen, a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and co-researcher, claimed that “if you sleep poorly you are prone to be self-centered;” your focus is “me,me,me.”

A variety of studies that are mentioned in this article show many negative side effects to the time change,  As already mentioned:

  • impulsivity
  • volatility
  • less-control (also called ego-depletion)
  • selfish tendencies

          And in addition:

  • less moral awareness
  • more time spent aimlessly surfing the internet
  • increase in workplace injuries
  • increase in heart attacks

So what is the take away?  We all need sleep and as a Pediatric Sleep Consultant, I know we all need consolidated and restorative sleep.  If a one- hour time change can wreak so much havoc, just imagine how much more many sleepless nights, can wreak.

This is what I see in my practice: 

Overtired and overstressed parents, and the main cause of this is that their children are not sleeping; not because they’re changing their clocks twice a year. 

If you feel you are one of those parents, and you know it’s because your children are not sleeping, let me help you. I can get your kids sleeping again and allowing all of you to get the sleep you desire and more importantly, need!

Let me know what you think.  Was this article helpful?

Angela Walsh is a Family Sleep Institute, Certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant and the founder of Babes in Sleepland. She helps sleep deprived babies, children and families, get back on track and get the sleep they need and desire. To learn more about Angela and how she can help you, visit her website: babesinsleepland.com Also get sleep tips, the latest research on baby and child products, and be part of her weekly Q and A at her Facebook page: Babes in Sleepland.

Filed Under: Adult sleep, baby sleep difficulties, certified child sleep consultant, Child Sleep, child sleep expert, Daylight Savings Time

March 3, 2015 by Angela Walsh Leave a Comment

Daylight Saving-Time to Spring Ahead

Filed Under: Adjusting a child's bedtime, Baby Sleep, certified child sleep consultant, Child Sleep, child sleep expert, How to adjust sleep schedules to time changes

February 25, 2015 by Angela Walsh Leave a Comment

Do you Have Sleep Questions You Would Love to Have Answered?

Adorable toddler girl taking a nap in a white bedIf you would like a sleep expert to answer your baby or child sleep questions, visit https://www.facebook.com/BabesInSleepland on Thursdays at 1pm EDT.

Angela Walsh is a Family Sleep Institute, Certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant and the founder of Babes in Sleepland. She helps sleep deprived babies, children and families, get back on track and get the sleep they need and desire. To learn more about Angela and how she can help you, visit her website: babesinsleepland.com Also get sleep tips, the latest research on baby and child products, and be part of her weekly Q and A at her Facebook page: Babes in Sleepland.

 

Filed Under: Baby Sleep, baby sleep difficulties, certified child sleep consultant, Child Sleep, child sleep advice, child sleep expert, Sleep Advice

February 23, 2015 by Angela Walsh Leave a Comment

Is There a Relationship Between Hand-Washing Dishes and Allergies?

According to a report in time.com http://tinyurl.com/mtfxa37 a new study in journal pediatrics http://tinyurl.com/m2fhj56 suggests it’s good for our immune systems to get dirty.

Something called “hygiene hypothesis” speculates that we set ourselves up for allergies because our environment is just too clean, and in order for our children to have a healthy immune system, we need to expose them to bacteria at a very early age.

Past studies have shown that families who have pets, or live on a farm, have less allergies than families that don’t.  Now this new study performed by Dr. Bill Hesselmar of Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, says hand washing dishes might also lead to fewer allergies.  So far what they have found is a reduced rate of eczema in either children who are old enough to wash dishes, or children who happen to live in homes where dishes are hand washed.  The thinking behind this is that dishes not washed in a dishwasher, are just not cleaned as well, and therefore some bacteria could still remain.

However, there is still much to learn.  For example, why are they only noticing a difference in eczema and not other things, such as asthma? This is one of the questions the team of researchers is asking.

So for now this is all we know-but even if a reduced risk of eczema is the only benefit, well that’s not so bad!

Let me know if you read the full article and if you found it helpful. 

 

Angela Walsh is a Family Sleep Institute, Certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant and the founder of Babes in Sleepland. She helps sleep deprived babies, children and families, get back on track and get the sleep they need and desire. To learn more about Angela and how she can help you, visit her website: babesinsleepland.com Also get sleep tips, the latest research on baby and child products, and be part of her weekly Q and A at her Facebook page: Babes in Sleepland.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Allergies in Children, certified child sleep consultant, child sleep expert, Families

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Meet Angela

My name is Angela Walsh.  I am a Child Sleep Consultant Certified by the Family Sleep Institute, and the founder of Babes in Sleepland.  As the mother of four grown children (three boys and a girl), my mission is to help parents like you enjoy every … (READ MORE)

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"What I also found so appealing about Angela, is that she respected me as a mother. Her guidance kept me empowered. And she has the sweetest most soothing voice!"
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