Dear Starters: The Impact of Poor Sleep on Autistic Children

Poor sleep can worsen daytime behaviours, making meltdowns more frequent and attention harder to maintain. Tiredness may also increase anxiety, irritability, and difficulty coping with change.

Steps to manage the impact include:

• Keep a simple sleep log noting bedtime, wake time, and night wakings.
• Share records with professionals such as paediatricians or sleep specialists.
• Short naps may help but avoid long daytime snoozes that disrupt night sleep.
• Relaxation techniques: Deep breathing or gentle stretching during the day encourage better rest at night.

👉 Don’t miss our related posts: sensory sensitivities and autism sleep and helping autistic children sleep independently. Together, they provide a toolkit for parents in Nigeria seeking practical autism support.

At Bethelxafe Autism Foundation, we believe that understanding sleep’s impact on behavior helps families build calmer, more structured days.