Up to a third of developing children will experien...

Up to a third of developing children will experience some sleep disturbance with most children experiencing difficulties going to sleep or maintaining sleep during the night. However, when we think of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, we don’t often realize that as many as 80% of these children experience debilitating sleep disturbances with trouble falling asleep and a tendency to wake up throughout the night. In this episode, Dr. Graham Taylor speaks with Emily Varon, BCBA. Emily is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst with a dedicated focus on sleep-related behaviors. She has over 22 years of experience and devoted her practice to improving the sleep habits of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder since 2010. Emily’s company Ready.Set.Sleep, provides education, CEUs, sleep program development, and individual consultation to families seeking support with their child’s sleep. Together they discuss the challenges to sleeping and its effects on the body, we discuss the signs and symptoms of sleep disturbances, and finally some sustainable strategies to ready the body for sleep. Sleep is at the top of the pyramid when it comes to health and wellness, and the sustainability of these strategies do work.

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