Webinars

Sleep is much harder for autistic children and young people - for reasons that they cannot control. It is also very little to do with your parenting; what you’ve tried or not tried, despite a huge amount of judgement out there. 

There are biological differences which can get in the way; you may have noticed that settling and staying asleep is hard for them. Letting go and allowing sleep to happen may feel scary or strange. Sensory differences, anxiety, even the language we use can all make settling and sleeping more difficult.

We will look at the processes which drive our sleep, how these can be affected by autism and strategies to try (no taking away of screens!).

Book Here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/autism-and-sleep-tickets-1990975490287?aff=oddtdtcreator

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Sleep is much harder for ADHD children and young people - for reasons that they cannot control. It is also very little to do with your parenting; what you’ve tried or not tried, despite a huge amount of judgement out there. 

There are biological differences which can get in the way; you may have noticed that settling and staying asleep is hard for them.

We need to feel calm, safe, and comfortable to sleep well. A busy brain and a restless body get in the way, causing sleep difficulties in up to 75% of ADHDers.

You have probably realised that normal ‘sleep hygiene’ strategies often don’t work and are based on out of date research and information. Taking children back to bed repeatedly does not help them settle!

We will look at the processes which drive our sleep, how these can be affected by ADHD and strategies to try (no taking away of screens!).

Book Here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/adhd-and-sleep-tickets-1994680944400?aff=oddtdtcreator

Teenagers

Teenagers often have difficulty with their sleep because puberty hormones affect the circadian rhythm.  Their bodies are telling them to get up and settle later; they are not staying awake late to be awkward! Add anxiety, hormones, school stress, peer pressure, social media or additional needs into the mix and it is no wonder they struggle. 

 We also need to approach how we manage sleep differently as we can no longer parent teenagers the way we can with smaller children! Helping them understand what is happening and giving them the autonomy to make changes themselves reduces the battles around bedtime.

In addition normal ‘sleep hygiene’ strategies often don’t work and are based on out of date research and information. 

 We will look at the changes our teenagers are going through, the processes which drive our sleep (and how these can be affected by puberty) and strategies to try (including a different approach to screens!).

Teenagers are very welcome to join you in this session, as often they will listen more to someone else rather than their parents!

Book here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/teenagers-and-sleep-tickets-1994813522946?aff=oddtdtcreator

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Preschoolers

Very young children are growing and learning fast, becoming independent, learning about the world/themselves and sleep can be scary. They naturally try and find safety and comfort with us, even as they learn to be more independent. You may have noticed that they constantly seek reassurance, getting out of bed or coming in to your bed.

The truth is that normal sleep strategies often don’t work and are based on out of date information. Taking them back to bed repeatedly is exhausting and does not help them feel safe! We need to find other ways to support them as they grow.

You have probably realised that normal ‘sleep hygiene’ strategies often don’t work and are based on out of date research and information. 

We will look at the processes which drive our sleep and practical, gentle, low cost strategies to try (no taking away of screens!).

Book here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/preschoolers-and-sleep-tickets-1994812831879?aff=oddtdtcreator

Sensory differences and sleep are often overlooked in all the well meaning advice around sleep you may have been given. We need to feel calm, safe and comfortable to sleep well but sensory differences can interfere with this causing hypervigilance, anxiety and discomfort. If your child has sensory processing differences, bedrooms can be uncomfortable, overwhelming or even scary.

 You may notice that your child wants you to sleep next to them, repeatedly gets into bed with you in the night or you find them asleep on the floor. They may be unable to sleep without a light or TV on or make a ‘nest’ in their bed at night. They may play happily in their bedroom during the day but refuse to sleep in there at night.

We will look at each of the senses in turn and how over- or undersensitivity can affect settling and sleeping. Real life examples help to bring this important topic to life with practical strategies to try.

Book Here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sensory-processing-and-sleep-tickets-1994680501074?aff=oddtdtcreator

Pathological Demand Avoidance (Persistent Drive for Autonomy) is a behavioural profile currently part of the autism spectrum. It involves an extreme resistance to perceived demands and requests driven by intense anxiety and a need for control. Demands can be external and *internal*, so everything about sleep is a demand. From the bedtime routine, to the sleepy / tired messages their body is giving them that they are not in control of. How we manage sleep for PDA goes against everything you have previously been told.

You have probably realised that normal ‘sleep hygiene’ strategies just don’t work and are based on out of date research and information. They do not take account of your child's unique needs. We will look at the processes which drive our sleep, how these can be affected by PDA and strategies to try (no taking away of screens!).

Book here:​

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pda-and-sleep-tickets-1994806938251?aff=oddtdtcreator

In order to sleep well we need to feel calm, safe and comfortable. If your child is anxious, they are likely to be carrying stress and anxiety over from the day and this affects the hormones which drive sleep and wakefulness. Many of the behaviours we see around sleep (getting up, getting in with us) are children and young people seeking comfort and safety - it is a basic need, not a bad behaviour. We need to find out why they are anxious in the first place.

You have probably realised that normal ‘sleep hygiene’ strategies often don’t work and are based on out of date research and information. Taking children back to bed repeatedly does not address the cause of the anxiety!

We will look at the processes which drive our sleep, how these can be affected by anxiety and strategies to try (no taking away of screens!).

Book here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/anxiety-and-sleep-tickets-1994809844945?aff=oddtdtcreator