Solving Sleep Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Picture of Solving Sleep Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
by Terry Katz, Ph.D. & Beth Ann Malow, M.D., M.S.
Woodbine House Publishing / 2014
Paperback / 148 pages
$21.00

Do nightly struggles to get your child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to go to sleep and stay asleep leave you frazzled and frustrated? Pinpoint and solve the problems underlying sleep difficulties and improve your entire family's quality of life with the effective interventions found in this easy-to-understand and empathetic guide to good sleep.

Solving Sleep Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders is based on a multi-year study of sleep in children with ASDs which concluded that parent training was the key to resolving sleep problems.

The authors show parents how to evaluate both daytime and nighttime habits and routines—exercise, lighting, caffeine consumption, bedtime preparation, sleep environment—to identify causes of impaired sleep and make necessary modifications. Parents are then taught to use strategies—social stories, visual schedules, visual cues, rewards—to help their child get ready for bed, fall asleep, and stay asleep.