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This is my first time posting in the special needs board, but was hoping to get some advice. Our ds was adopted from Russia over 4 yrs ago(He is 5 yrs old now), since then he has been diagnosed with FAS and PDD so far. He has never slept through the night, but lately he has started waking up talking or sleep walking. Dh decided that he would add to our current security alarm to make sure no-one can get in or out of our house without the alarm going off or us being notified. so thats not a worry, but my concern is for him and me. Is it normal for PDD children to not sleep through the night, and if so with age will that change? (I am so sleep deprived, and I can't even imagine how he's feeling).
We are starting to see a new therapist next month and will probably get a diagnoses of ADHD. What was it that finally helped you decide to medicate? Our ds can't stand still, if we can get him to stay in one spot he either starts jumping or twirls in circles. The only thing that gets him calm is having him lay his head on my lap and rubbing his head and face. There are times that we are out doing something that I really need him to settle down, but he can't. Our dd has ADHD and I didn't medicate her until it either effected school or friendships. But he is soooooo much hyper then she ever was. I'm wondering whether this is also effecting his sleep. Not sure what to do right now! Are there other alternatives besides diet and medication that can be used? We have him on a strict diet, but we also have to be careful with that because of his weight.( we just got him on the chart for weight)
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My son has PDD and ADHD and has never slept well on his own for those and other reasons. You might ask you doctor about starting him on melatonin. It's over the counter, but making sure your p-doc is okay with it. In our case, he takes the time release version because it not only helps him fall asleep, it helps him stay asleep as well.
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momofMikhail
This is my first time posting in the special needs board, but was hoping to get some advice. Our ds was adopted from Russia over 4 yrs ago(He is 5 yrs old now), since then he has been diagnosed with FAS and PDD so far. He has never slept through the night, but lately he has started waking up talking or sleep walking.
When my son first came, he didn't sleep--as in didn't sleep period. Basically he screamed 24/7 for about the first two weeks. That's when we first started "the rule"--a rule that is only now starting to unbend a little. Basiclly "The Rule" is that children don't come out until one of the adults is up and out of their rooms. Now that my son is 8 we've unbent a little in that in the morning (not night) if I haven't gotten up yet, he can come to my room and ask for me to set up breakfast (and I go back to bed).
To teach the rule, I put something movable in the hallway such as two clothes baskets--easy to move, but I'd hear moving. If he came down the hall, I took him back to this room, restated the rule, and walked away--and repeated until he finally got it.
We also did somethings in his room to make it more sleep conducive. He needed total darkness--so we put up light blocking shades and curtains (singluarly, neither worked). To add comfort, I did put up glow in the dark stars, which faded to dark.
My son matured to the point he does now sleep--he normally drops off around 11 and sleeps to about 5:30. He is allowed to turn on his light and play if he can't sleep--which does happen around times of stress (like after visits). Bedtime is at 8 each night, and we follow the same exact pattern.
But the reality is that some kids on the spectrum just don't sleep and may not grow out of that. When LG, we set things up so that if he didn't sleep, at least we did.
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Our 7 year old is on the spectrum and has had sleep issues since infancy. We do all the recommended things- have the same routine every night, calming activities, low lights, etc. We even had a behavioral specialist come in to our home when he was 4 and help us with this issue. It would still take him at least 2 hours every night to fall asleep and we felt his fatigue was adding to his behavior issues during the day. And, the final straw was he started to cry and express anxiety every night at bedtime because it was so hard to all asleep. So, we started him on melatonin and it is great. He takes 3 mgs every night about 40 mins pre bed and he is asleep w/in 30 mins of bedtime. He is no longer anxious and is well rested. A few nights he's missed it and again had difficulty sleeping. It didn't fix his behavioral issues, of course, but at least he does not have anxiety at night and we are ALL sleeping better.
Hope you figure something out. I would recommend the time released as well to help him stay asleep.
Now, if we could just figure out a way to get him to sleep past 5 a.m. . . . :-)
Good luck!
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Our 9 year old has Aspburgers and he takes Risperodone 30 mins before bedtime, .5mg and my 7 year old as ADHD and he takes Vyvanse, 30mg in the morning and to help him sleep he takes .1mg of Clonidine HCL.
My choice to start meds was not taken lightly as I hate for any of us to be on them but my 7 year old was having issues in school and was not getting his education, he is so much better now and his teacher confirms it. My 9 year old seems to doing well with the night time meds as well, he is not having the stress and tantrums that used to happen from general stress from school.
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Thanks for all the responses! Since I last posted we have tried Melatonin with no luck , we have seen the specialist several times and have decided with his teachers help to put ds on medication. He started Vyvanse 30mg to help him calm down and .01 clonidine to help with sleep. the clonidine does help, but he still goes threw phases of night terrors that keep him from getting the sleep he and I so desperately need. but, on the bright side, things are getting better. We have also gotten new and changed diagnosis. We now know he has FAS, Aspergers, ADHD and Turrets Syndrome. we have always assumed he would get the Turrets diagnosis, but that is a diagnosis that takes quit awhile to get. Now we are trying to settle into a new parenting style to help ds through is daily life.
I recently heard about a therapy that I think might help ds called ABA therapy. Has anyone done this with there children? if so, did it help? how much of an impact did it have on your child? and did your insurance help with the cost? I've heard it's quit expensive so that will be a big factor on whether or not we will be able to try this therapy!
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