On average, children with autism sleep less than might be expected for their age. This may occur more commonly in those with an intellectual disability.
Hypersomnia, or excessive sleepiness, is common in people with autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Researchers are uncertain whether this is caused by an underlying physiological problem associated with autism.
Hypersomnia – sleeping too much. Increased exhaustion could be caused by the additional stress autistic people experience in social situations. Increased anxiety or an inability to relax causing insomnia. Sharing a bed/bedroom with others.
The survey revealed on average, 68% of autistic people get just six hours of sleep (or less) each night, with 59% waking up during the night, and nearly half (48%) waking up 'too soon' in the morning.
Being autistic can make fatigue and burnout more likely, due to the pressures of social situations and sensory overload.
When Does Autism Get Easier? A new study found that around 30% of young autistic children have less severe symptoms at age 6 than they did at age 3. Interestingly, some children lose their autism diagnoses entirely.
Some may have trouble coordinating movements between the left and right side of the body among different limbs, making it difficult to do actions like pumping their legs on a swing, jumping, skipping or hopping. Others may have low muscle tone and problems maintaining their posture or balance.
Autistic children can have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. They can be known to get up in the middle of the night and wander around, play video games, or whatever else they may find appealing when everyone else is asleep.
They are likely to be non-verbal and unable to use spoken language when interacting with other people, and may even be unaware there are people around them. Many children with level 3 autism have sensory dysfunction, meaning they are either sensitive or non-sensitive to light, sound, touch, smell, and taste.
Autistic children can have particular sleep and settling problems, including: irregular sleeping and waking patterns – for example, lying awake until very late or waking very early in the morning. sleeping much less than expected for their age, or being awake for more than an hour during the night.
Autism is not an illness
It means your brain works in a different way from other people. It's something you're born with. Signs of autism might be noticed when you're very young, or not until you're older. If you're autistic, you're autistic your whole life.
Diagnostic Interviews
The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule™ (ADOS™-2) is a standardized assessment of communication, social interaction, play, and restricted and repetitive behaviors in children. During an ADOS™-2 assessment, a specialist interacts directly with the child in social and play activities.
Individuals with autism also show equal or superior abilities in pitch processing, labeling emotions in music, and musical preference compared to typically developing peers.
A child with level 1 autism may understand and speak in complete sentences, but have difficulty engaging in back-and-forth conversation. Children with ASD level 1 experience some inflexibility of behavior, like difficulty switching between tasks, staying organized, and planning.
Level 1: Level 1 is the mildest form of ASD, but children in this category still require support. Generally, children at this level have more mild symptoms, but still have a hard time communicating appropriately or engaging with others.
These children are often notably awkward, and they find nonverbal interaction especially complicated, specifically in situations involving eye contact, sensory sensitivity, spatial awareness, and interpersonal communications.
In the case of vocal stimming (or verbal stimming), the child might make noises such as groaning, grunting, high- pitched screeching, squealing, humming, or repeating random words, words to a familiar song, phrases, or lines from a movie.
Children with an ASD are not vigilant and do not look up to the caregiver for social referencing. They may not cling to the caregiver, although go up to them for succor. However, some cling to the caregiver because of extreme anxiety.
Here's the reality: every child will throw a tantrum at some point, whether they have an autism diagnosis or not. But for children with autism, tantrums can be more frequent, distressing, and difficult to quell. However, it is in no way impossible; you'll just need to be a little more patient.
Sensory Issues
Many people with autism experience sensory processing disorder. This is more commonly known as sensory overload. Noise, crowds, bright lights, strong tastes, smells, and being touched can feel unbearable to someone with HFA. This makes going to restaurants, movies, and shopping malls difficult.
Due to the behavioural, information processing and sensory aspects of their diagnosis, many people on the autism spectrum often prefer familiar environments with a predictable routine. Restricted and repetitive interests, sensory processing differences and heightened anxiety can make even small changes stressful.
Amaral: The percentage of kids who increased in severity between ages 6-11 was higher than that of other ages. We theorize that could be due to the many increased social demands that may lead people to withdraw, as well as the development of anxiety, which can increase at that age.