Dear mom with kids 

Autism and Sleep: How to Get a Child with Autism to Sleep

Autism and sleep is a hot topic in the special needs community. In fact, I once read that more than 50% of children with autism struggle with sleep disturbances of some kind. 

Autism and sleep patterns

Most families with small children not just autism experience some form of sleep disturbances due to sleep regressions, teething, sicknesses, night terrors, and potty training.

This is a fact for me Brad have difficulties falling asleep 

So children on the autism spectrum, on the other hand, tend to have difficulties falling and staying asleep, and they often sleep LESS than their neurotypical peers. Feelings of anxiety, and sensory processing issues.

So, how do you improve the amount and quality of your child’s sleep

How to Get a Child with Autism to Sleep

If autism and sleep is a challenge in your household, the first thing you want to do is try to figure out WHY. Does your child have sensory issues? Does he/she suffer from night terrors? Does he/she have gastrointestinal discomfort? 

Make sleep a priority

Whether your child has developmental delays, or just struggles to get a decent night of sleep, one of the best things you can do is to prioritize sleep.

I have to set time for my son for eg bedtime is 8pm 🕗 fall asleep around 8:30  

Be consistent

As tempting as it is to let loose and let go of rules and schedules on weekends and holidays, research shows that children thrive best when they are on a consistent schedule. 

Remove sensory distractions

For me I removed the distraction from Brad room so he stay asleep 💤 

So If your child is sensitive to external stimuli, like light, sounds, and textures, take steps to remove them from his sleep environment

Get help

If all else fails and your child simply cannot get enough restorative sleep, ask for help. I’m serious. Sleep plays such an important role not only in our children’s well-being, but in our ability to be good parents, so don’t be afraid to talk to your physician 👩‍⚕️ 

If autism and sleep is something you and your family struggles with, and you found these tips to teach you how to get a child with autism to sleep helpful, please share this post on Facebook #Livebeyondautism

As a mom, it can be tough to take time for yourself. You always feel like you’re behind and there’s never enough time in the day as it is. But taking some time for yourself is crucial for your own happiness  and well-being. Here are 10 helpful ways to take time for yourself as a mom without feeling guilty.

When I had my kids, I remember feeling overwhelmed. I was so used to being independent and taking care of myself that it was hard to handle all the new emotions and responsibilities that came with motherhood. On top of that, I felt guilty any time I wanted to take a break or do something for myself.

Mothers time and time again continue to put themselves last and their needs on the back burner. We take care of our families, our homes, our jobs, and everything else in between but when do we ever take care of ourselves? The answer is usually never.
It is important to take time for yourself because it allows you to recharge and come back even more refreshed and ready to take on motherhood. It also helps improve your mood and outlook on life.

Think about it this way, if you’re constantly feeling run down, stressed, and unhappy, that’s going to show in the way you take care of your family and the way you interact with your kids. But if you’re taking care of yourself and making sure to take some time for you, you’re going to be a happier, more present mom that your kids will love being around.

Realize You’re Worthy of It

Halloween is a fun night of costumes and candy for kids of all ages. But for those on the autism spectrum, scary sounds and decorations, tight or scratchy costumes and going out at night can be a lot to handle. Helping your child know what to expect from Halloween can help make it a fun time for everyone. although I don't celebrate halloween I want to make sure its safe for my son that is on the spectrum and my daughter.

How To help your littler one get Halloween off to a good start

 It’s true. Raising a child with autism is overwhelming, to say the least, and it’s impossible to predict how each day will unfold. Even the slightest change in routine can set your little one off, leaving you feeling as though you’re constantly walking on egg shells in an attempt to keep the peace, which is exhausting.

Sometimes it feels as though no one in the entire world understands what you and your family experience on a daily basis, and other times you feel overwhelmed with gratitude for the people who go out of their way to help you.

We live in a day and age where we are expected to put everyone’s needs before our own, but what we fail to realize is that there is only so long we can live in a constant state of stress and fatigue before our bodies start to breakdown and even the smallest tasks start to feel overwhelming.

And when autism moms feel overwhelmed, the effects can be detrimental on the entire family. I’m serious! Your child’s success with various treatments and therapies is very much dependent on YOU

Of course, this all sounds great in theory, but finding ways to catch a break and recharge can feel downright impossible when you have so many demands on your time each day

One of the biggest challenges for autism moms is that, unless you’ve lived it, you cannot possibly understand what parents of autistic children experience on a daily basis

With that said, there are certain struggles most autism moms can relate to, including:

• Chronic exhaustion
• Improper diagnosis
• Long waitlists
• Lack of available resources
• Feeling socially isolated
• Feelings of guilt
• Not having enough time to focus on your child’s sibling’s 
• Financial concerns
• Worrying about the future

It’s back-to-school time! Many parents look forward to this all summer long, while others absolutely dread it. Changing your child’s schedule abruptly at the beginning of a new school year can cause lots of chaos and big emotions. Children on the autism spectrum typically feel this stress much more intensely, which can lead to after school meltdowns. If your kids struggles with this, check out these great ideas to reduce the overwhelm!

Why do after school meltdowns occur?

How is it even possible? Your child was a perfect angel all day; their teacher said so! Now they are sobbing uncontrollably and throwing things. What happened?! How can your kid have such a great day at school, then come home and completely fall apart?

So many moms struggle with this. They begin to wonder if they are a horrible parent, if the teacher is lying, or if their child despises them. The drastic change in behavior is difficult to wrap your mind around.

Believe it or not, after school meltdowns are pretty normal, especially for autistic children. Home is their safe place. They know they can get away with more at home. No, they aren’t necessarily trying to manipulate, mistreat, or use you – they just know they can be themselves without fear of unknown punishment. They don’t have to try to bottle up all of their overwhelming emotions, stress, and sensory overload any longer, so they explode.

How to reduce after school meltdowns

What are we supposed to do then? Just let them explode on us each day? While it is necessary for our kids to have a safe place, and to be able to release their bottled up emotions, we also need to teach them healthy ways to do it. That is obviously more of a challenge with special needs children. 

These sensory integration exercises require assistance, but have super results:

• Ball squashes (roll an exercise ball up and down your child, as they lay on the floor or a mat)
• Joint compressions
• Deep squeezes (slowly squeeze and release up and down your child’s arms and legs)
• Body rolls (wrap a blanket around your child and roll them from one side of the bed or floor to the other) 

 Let me tell you am that one mother who doesn’t stop at nothing less when it come to my kid’s especially when it come to education. I have my annual IEP meeting today and it’s was very successful. Having a great teacher on your team is everything. It’s on point When you're looking for help for a student who struggles with a learning disability or mental health condition, you know it's important to have a plan in place to ensure your child's special needs are being met at school. That's where the Individual Education Program (IEP) meeting comes in handy

Review IDEA

Get familiar with the IEP meeting and process before you show up for a meeting. Every school provides a copy of your rights, so make sure you request and review a copy of the manual that was provided 

Compile Your List of Questions

It's easy to forget the questions you want to ask about your child's progress at school. Simplify what you need to remember by writing down all the questions you want to ask prior to attending the meeting.

Invite People and Professionals

You don't have to face a group of IEP review members, teachers or school counselors alone. If you have your own "support team," consider inviting them to the meeting.

This was one of the best thing I have ever done is reaching out for help and let me tell you professional help is the best 

At the end of the meeting they will review the evaluations with you 

Review and Complete Evaluations and Forms

Review and sign evaluations and forms that the IEP review team has prepared. These forms typically let the team know all of the meeting's participants, and give you insight into what will be covered, such as goals for the next school year 

At last help the teachers 👩‍🏫 so they can help you. So with that said 

Create a Student Profile

As a parent, you're an expert when it comes to your child. Help your IEP team in advance with a profile to help them gain more knowledge about your child outside of school. You can include your child's strengths, learning challenges or any special accommodations they may need as part of this profile.

IEP meetings can be informative, but you will benefit even more by being prepared in advance.

For the passed 4 years all I have learned with IEP I hope what I learned could help another parent so it’s was a success for me  #schoolcounselor #schoolteacher #students #therapy #disabilityrights #livebeyondautism

Planning is an important part of any family affected by autism's daily routine, but is even more important when it comes to being prepared before, during and after any type of natural disaster. The following tips to assist families with creating emergency preparedness and response plans

Hurricanes and other natural disasters can be difficult for people with autism. Disney has put a lot of video and guide for families following a natural disaster

Basic Preparedness Tips:

• Know where to go. If you are ordered to evacuate, know the local hurricane evacuation route(s) to take and have a plan for where you can stay. Contact your local emergency management agency for more information.
• Put together a disaster supply kit, including a flashlight, batteries, cash, first aid supplies, and copies of your critical information if you need to evacuate.
• If you are not in an area that is advised to evacuate and you decide to stay in your home, plan for adequate supplies in case you lose power and water for several days and you are not able to leave due to flooding or blocked roads.
• Make a family emergency 🚨 communication plan.
• Many communities have text or email alerting systems for emergency notifications. To find out what alerts are available in your area, search the Internet with your town, city, or county name and the word "alerts".

Many autistic people have meltdowns. The public often finds it hard to tell autism meltdowns and temper tantrums apart, but they are very different things. If your family member or the person you support has meltdowns, find out how to anticipate them, identify their causes and minimise their frequency.
 

What is a meltdown? 

A meltdown is an intense response to an overwhelming situation. It happens when someone becomes completely overwhelmed by their current situation and temporarily loses control of their behaviour. This loss of control can be expressed verbally (eg shouting, screaming, crying), physically (eg kicking, lashing out, biting) or in both ways. 

What to do 

If someone is having a meltdown, or not responding to you, don’t judge them. It can make a world of difference to an autistic person and their carers. 

• Give them some time - it can take a while to recover from information or sensory overload. 
• Calmly ask them (or their parent or friend) if they’re OK, but bear in mind they’ll need more time to respond than you might expect. 
• Make space - try to create a quiet, safe space as best you can. Ask people to move along and not to stare, turn off loud music and turn down bright lights – whatever you can think of to reduce the information overload, try it.

Anticipating a meltdown 

Many autistic people will show signs of distress before having a meltdown, which is sometimes referred to as the “rumble stage”. They may start to exhibit signs of anxiety such as pacing, seek reassurance through repetitive questioning or physical signs such as rocking or becoming very still. 

Identifying the causes 

A meltdown is a reaction to an overwhelming experience. If your family member or the person you support has meltdowns, identify what is overwhelming for them. Complete a diary over a period of time. Record what happened before, during and after each meltdown. 

triggers 

Once you have a clearer idea what may be triggering meltdowns, think about ways you might minimise that trigger. Every autistic person is different, but sensory differences, changes in routine, anxiety, and communication difficulties are common triggers

Change in routine 

Consistent, predictable routines and structure are very important for autistic people and a change to routine can be very distressing. 

For example, having to go a different route to school due to roadworks could cause feelings of anxiety, that may trigger a meltdown.

Communication difficulties 

Autistic people can find it difficult to express their wants and needs, from a non-verbal child struggling to express their need for a drink to a teenager finding it hard to express their emotions. This can result in overwhelming feelings, such as anger and frustration, 

Support the person to find ways to understand and express their emotions appropriately before they get overwhelmed, and find ways to make your own communication more easily 

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