We hope you’ve had a good summer holiday! But now it’s only a couple of weeks until schools restart for the autumn term. This will mean another change of routine for your child. 

While the summer holidays can be a great time to relax and recharge, they can also bring challenges for autistic young people and their families.

You may have heard of white noise already. Many people use it to soothe themselves to sleep or help them focus on tasks. But did you know there are multiple colours of noise out there. 

Sleep terrors (also called 'night terrors') and nightmares are often thought to be the same thing when in fact, they are quite different. Nightmares are more common than sleep terrors but neither will cause any long-term psychological harm to your child.

Food and drink that your child consumes throughout the day, and especially in the evening, can have an impact on how well they settle to sleep. Caffeine and sugar both impact sleep quality and can cause more frequent night wakings.

People sleep significantly better and feel more alert during the day if they get at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a week. Exercise is beneficial to both physical and mental health and increases your child’s need for sleep. 

The relationship between exercise and sleep is a reciprocal one. It’s easier for your child to sleep when they have been active, and it’s easier to be active after a good night’s sleep.

A bedtime routine helps to regulate children’s body clocks and aids relaxation, leading to a good night’s sleep. Trying a new bedtime routine might worsen sleep patterns before they get better. Consistency is important and we advise sticking to the new routine for at least two weeks before you start to see some positive changes.

Cortisol is a hormone that is raised during times of stress and makes us feel alert and awake. It naturally reduces at night so that we can sleep. If your child is anxious at bedtime, their cortisol levels will be raised, and they will find it difficult to sleep.

Communication is one of the most important aspects of day-to-day life, enabling us to build relationships, establish connections and progress through our professional and personal lives. For many of us, the comfort and benefits of healthy communication can be taken for granted.