“Bedtime Fading”
A Method for Helping Children Who Aren’t Sleepy at Bedtime
How long should it take for a child to fall asleep?
Specialists in sleep medicine have found that children are usually able to fall asleep in 20 minutes or less after being tucked in by their parents. Some children with autism or other developmental disorders regularly fall asleep within 20 minutes, but others take much longer – sometimes more than an hour. This problem may result in great frustration for tired parents and inadequate sleep for the affected child.
Not sleepy at bedtime: why are kids with autism or other developmental disorders more susceptible?
Several theories have been proposed, but there is still a great deal that sleep specialists need to learn. For children with autism spectrum disorders, a specific source of difficulty is that falling asleep represents a major transition – from being alert, active and surrounded by others to being alone in a bedroom that is quiet and relatively dark. Even with the best of pre-bedtime routines, a child with autism may have trouble quieting his or her mind and body to allow sleep to come within 20 minutes of going to bed.
If your child is not sleepy at bedtime, making changes in the pre-bedtime routine could help.
Some children become irritable or over-stimulated during necessary tasks, such as bathing, brushing teeth or changing a diaper. It is usually best to complete these steps early in the routine. The final steps should be quiet and reassuring, so that your child is as calm as possible when it is time for lights out .
“Bedtime Fading” as a method for helping children who aren’t sleepy at bedtime
Bedtime fading is an established method for helping a child “reset” his or her sleep clock. While this method is safe for children of any age, it works best for children 4 years and older. Here are the steps:
1. Using the sleep log printed on the back of this handout, make a 5-day record of the following:
a. The time when your child was put to bed.
b. The time when he or she was completely quiet or asleep.
c. If awake during the night (crying, playing, walking around, etc), estimate total time awake
d. The time on the following morning when your child was awake and out of bed.
e. If your child napped at any time during the day, at what time and for how long.
2. Set a time for your child to rise in the morning. Regardless of bedtime, make sure your child gets up on time each day. If he or she is still unable to fall asleep at bedtime, bedtime fading may be helpful.
4. On the first night of the “bedtime fading” plan, delay the start of the pre-bedtime routine by one-half hour. This delay should result in your child being put to bed about 25 or 30 minutes later than before. If he or she is asleep within 20 minutes, begin at the same time on the following night. After 3 consecutive successful nights, you may move bedtime forward by 15-20 minutes.
5. If your child is unable to fall asleep within 20 minutes on the first night of bedtime fading, it may be necessary to temporarily move bedtime back by an additional 30 minutes on the following night.
6. Repeat the same sequence, waiting for 3 consecutive successful nights before moving bedtime forward. Continue until your child is falling asleep at the time you chose as a target.
7. While bedtime fading is being implemented, you must avoid the temptation to allow your child to sleep later in the morning or to take a longer nap during the day. You may notice some daytime sleepiness as you are “resetting” his or her sleep clock. This is a sign that the method is succeeding.