It is very common for children to have different sleeping patterns than adults and/or sleeping problems. For example, many children may sleep during the day, and/or wake up in the middle of the night active and full of energy. Fortunately, addressing these problems correctly can help a child overcome his/her sleeping issues and develop more regular sleeping habits.

The first thing you should do is to begin observing your child’s sleeping behaviors and take detailed notes. Each day, make note of when your child goes to sleep, for how long and when he/she wakes up. If the child wakes up in the middle of the night, make note of what he/she does after waking up. These bits of information will help later when developing a plan to improve his or her sleeping habits.

In most circumstances, children often wake up in the middle of the night because they get too much sleep during the day and are not very tired at nighttime. Thus, it is necessary for you to keep your child active during the day, even when he or she is trying to fall asleep. The child will not want to cooperate with you, and will continue to try to sleep, but you must be persistent in your efforts to keep him/her awake until it is an appropriate hour for sleep.   

Often, a child’s sleeping problems are due to uneasiness or restlessness at bedtime. A good way to alleviate this is to develop a sleeping routine or ritual before bedtime. One of the most common routines is reading a book to your child right before the lights go off. He or she will eventually understand that after the book is finished and their parent walks over to turn out the light, the day is complete, and it is time to sleep until the next morning.

Children may often leave their own bed in the middle of the night and go to their parents’ room for comfort. In this case, though it may tug at your heartstrings, you must show great discipline and let him/her know that if they attempt to come to your room in the middle of the night, they will immediately be escorted back to their own room. Be sure not to bribe your child back into his/her bed with treats or by allowing him or her to play games first, because this will only encourage your child to wake up in the future in order to enjoy these rewards.

[Koegel, Lynn Kern Ph.D. and Lazebnik, Claire. Overcoming Autism. New York: Penguin Books, 2004. pp. 260-263]