Does your child struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep through the night? Do you have difficulty getting your child to go to bed willingly at bedtime?
In this week’s Teacher Tips newsletter, the Watson Institute shares strategies to help your child with special needs go to bed easily and stay asleep through the night.
- Develop a routine that is calming and enjoyable for your child including a bedtime activity, a soothing bath or shower, and finish with a bedtime book. Build in choices for your child, such as which activity they’d like to do; if they’d like to use a colorful wash rag or fun soap in the bath; and which flavor of toothpaste they’d like to use.
- Use a visual schedule that your child can use to see all of the steps in the bedtime routine, allowing them to check them off or to move them to the completed stage of the schedule.
- Develop a goodnight routine such as hugs and kisses or a rhyming statement you use every night so your child knows it is time for bed.
- Once your child is in bed, stand outside the room for a few minutes. If your child leaves the bedroom, gently return him/her to bed with a quiet statement such as, “It’s time for bed, I will see you in the morning.”
- If your child continues to leave the bed, gently return him/her to the room each time but with no further talking.
- Be consistent in your routine!
To learn more about strategies to help your child with special needs go to sleep easily and stay asleep through the night, check out our YouTube video below and visit the corresponding special education resource page. For more special education resources, visit Watson Life Resources.