Sleep issues are common for autistic people, including only getting 4 to 5 hours of sleep each night, having trouble falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night, and waking up early. Here are some tips to help. The Milestones Sleep Tool Kit provides more detailed information including how autistic people being wired differently impacts sleep, ways to help and types of sleep disorders.

Develop a consistent nighttime routine that could include your child taking a bath, reading a story, listening to music, or other calming activities.

Do not allow your child to watch television or use tablets, phones, or computers immediately before bedtime or purchase blue light filtering glasses for your child to wear. Make a special place to store devices outside of the bedroom at night if possible.

Fill your child’s day with more physical activity, but avoid before bed.

Avoid having naps later in the day.

Children who share bedrooms may have different sleeping schedules and needs which can cause additional challenges. Think about how the space could be modified to support those different patterns like level of light, ear plugs, bed tents, etc.