Schedules and Sleep

Good Morning!

It's a lazy day for us. Ryan was exhausted and I learned from experience that if he wants to sleep, he needs it. Badly.

I told my son's doctor once that Ryan was up in the night and he suggested a sleep clinic. It's like ... boy, you don't spend much time around the disabled do you? I explained that some people with cognitive issues can get their days and nights mixed up, just like babies do. For that reason I've always stuck to a rigid schedule for Ryan's bedtime.

Honestly, I believe most children do better with schedules period. It helps them feel safe. They know the boundaries of the day. I think that's particularly true of people with disabilities that mess with their understanding of time.

Now that Ryan's twenty years old he still keeps to his schedule but he can be flexible. The bedtime is later but he still goes to bed around ten o'clock. That way if he gets up in the night and can't settle back down he can have a snack and go back to bed, there's plenty of night left.

It's hard for people to understand why people with disabilities get their times all mixed up. I think its the nature of the beast. Ryan's schedule worked amazingly well for him all through childhood. If your child isn't going down at night maybe he or she is taking two naps during the day and only needs one. Or maybe, like  Ryan who outgrew naps altogether by age two, he's better off with a longer night and no naps.

Ryan's Circadian Rhythm is strong. That means that when it's dark he wants to sleep, when it's light his little body wants to be up. I'm the same way so it didn't surprise me that he and I were the same. I outgrew naps ... well, let's just say my mother told said, "You never slept. You didn't need it. You were always up and busy." So if he inherited that, combined with the weirdness that is disability it all figures.

At any rate, I've rambled enough. All that to say, don't over-react if your child is not sleeping typically. A schedule and some tweaking on your part may be all that's necessary. Sometimes diet is a factor ... but that's a topic for another blog post.

Take care and sleep sweet!

Much love and joy,

Karen