Why are they Waking up at 2 AM?
Abstract Research suggests that roughly 50% of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder experience occasional or frequent middle-of-the-night awakenings. These wakeups aren’t just exhausting for families, they directly affect learning, behavior, emotional regulation, and overall progress in ABA. This presentation will offer a clear, behavior-analytic framework for understanding night wakings, including key assessment questions, how to identify common sleep dependencies, and when to consider medical or ethical factors. Attendees will learn practical, evidence-based strategies they can use immediately to help families reduce night wakings and build sustainable, independent sleep skills.
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What you'll learn
- 11. Describe the relationship between chronic middle-of-the-night awakenings and reduced progress in ABA, including impacts on learning, emotional regulation, and behavior.
- 22. Identify common sleep dependencies and explain how these dependencies contribute to disruptive nighttime wakeups.
- 33. Apply behavioral strategies to systematically fade sleep dependencies and promote independent nighttime sleep within an ethical, family-centered framework.
