Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi my daughter is 11, recently diagnosed ASC, she has real troubles sleeping, once she's asleep she's fine but it can be 2am before she drops off. She still gets up and manages fine in school. I've tried all suggestions given and nothing changes.
GP told me a paediatrician needs to prescribe medication as they can't (this is our last option) she doesn't have a paediatrician as when diagnosed she was then discharged from clinic and her ADHD referral was refused because she didn't meet the criteria by 2 points.
Sleep has been an issue for her since the age of around 4
Thanks in advance.
While there's many factors to consider -and it sounds like you may have tried everything, I always include no blue-light LEDs or screens at night, without halogens, and even just a halogen lamp bedside with books... there's a lot of science showing up on a biological difference in how we work.
Excitement and Anxiety are 2 sides of the same coin. The brain accelerating out of control. What's supposed to happen is our gut-brain axis GABA is responsible for aiding sleep, triggering REM, shutting down that "party" in the brain. A great deal of recent studies have shown Autistic and ADHD kids / adults appear to have less GABA, accounting for a lack of sleep and anxiety being biological.
This can be addressed with foods, minding any dietary restrictions (most of us have gut-health issues). Nootropics for kids can be good, along with a magnesium spray at night (if you haven't tried). I might look at something like this https://uk.iherb.com/pr/bioray-kids-ndf-calm-vanilla-2-fl-oz-60-ml/69665?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlN6wBhCcARIsAKZvD5hNW3Uvelid1bEFPhCNnlTAz-mKISMmzgbMFv0iv8RKbTwNt_yzn-8aAp6bEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds before opting for a prescription. Mushrooms like these are amazing for focus and immune health (which is connected to the gut). It's basically a sort of liquid salad :) They also boost Vit D.
But it's also important to exhaust the mind during the day. Always create room to problem solve no matter how intellectually or psychologically difficult. Often, pushing the mind beyond limits can help exhaust it. Wherever the interest or drive to understand lies, go with it with a sense that thought is a frontier as infinite as space and everything is mendable or solvable.
She's still growing, so would recommend to try again every year for a few years with the ADHD referral. These tests are difficult and kids can change so much during these years that it might not occur to them to express a thing necessary to help a practitioner recognise the help they might need.
such sage advise.