Son refuses to go to bed, pinching, scratching

One thing that's rather over looked for autistic individuals is our wild imagination. We can have incredible dreams, and a rich inner life. But it does not come without nightmares. From what I understand, there are only a few autistic individuals who cannot envision with this vivid  picture-thinking that is something unique to us. As we get older, with help and understanding and possibly with spiritual grounding or even just knowing someone is there, we can learn to steady the imagination but not as children. 

Being extra tired can make this even worse. When I was younger, if I was beyond exhausted and fell asleep it was so intense I felt like I was literally having an out of body experience, which was terrifying. I would see the dark side of individuals in my 'minds eye' as an embodiment of monsters. I might also have Devine encounters. There is something to the Autistic originally being identified as Schizophrenic. What marks a difference is, the Autistic can slowly grow out of it in their 20's, while the Schizophrenic will need a drug to regulate the little part of the brain responsible for helping identify fantasy from reality around this same age.

Your son needs to feel safe to thrive. As a mother, it's my job to make my son feel that. There are few matters of grave importance in life. Where one falls asleep makes little difference so long as they get the sleep they need and do not end up tormented alone in a dark room with no shelter from their fears. Humans do not naturally live in isolation, nor sleep alone. This new idea appeared in the 20th century, which may have been a fantasy ideal of Royalty. 

The world is an overwhelming place. These fears are not imagined. But the imagination will turn them into something a small person does not have the life experience and mature perspectives to overcome. 

One thing that's rather over looked for autistic individuals is our wild imagination. We can have incredible dreams, and a rich inner life. But it does not come without nightmares. From what I understand, there are only a few autistic individuals who cannot envision with this vivid  picture-thinking that is something unique to us. As we get older, with help and understanding and possibly with spiritual grounding or even just knowing someone is there, we can learn to steady the imagination but not as children. 

Being extra tired can make this even worse. When I was younger, if I was beyond exhausted and fell asleep it was so intense I felt like I was literally having an out of body experience, which was terrifying. I would see the dark side of individuals in my 'minds eye' as an embodiment of monsters. I might also have Devine encounters. There is something to the Autistic originally being identified as Schizophrenic. What marks a difference is, the Autistic can slowly grow out of it in their 20's, while the Schizophrenic will need a drug to regulate the little part of the brain responsible for helping identify fantasy from reality around this same age.

Your son needs to feel safe to thrive. As a mother, it's my job to make my son feel that. There are few matters of grave importance in life. Where one falls asleep makes little difference so long as they get the sleep they need and do not end up tormented alone in a dark room with no shelter from their fears. Humans do not naturally live in isolation, nor sleep alone. This new idea appeared in the 20th century, which may have been a fantasy ideal of Royalty. 

The world is an overwhelming place. These fears are not imagined. But the imagination will turn them into something a small person does not have the life experience and mature perspectives to overcome.