Written By: Sherica Scherer

Autism is typically accompanied by other comorbidities suck as anxiety, ADHD, sleep disorders, epilepsy, and gastrointestinal issues to name a few.

Elijah was a decent sleeper until he wasn’t. About 8 months ago during the time change, his sleep habits changed as well. Beforehand, we would have occasional nights where he would wake up during the early morning hours around 3-4 am and wouldn’t go back to sleep. Fast forward to now and he has been waking up every night around the same time and not going back to sleep.

You see, my son can not appropriately communicate to me what is going on with him, therefore, it’s like a guessing game for us. We’ve been doing our best to improve his diet by limiting artificial sugar intake, dyes, even going gluten free. We also do our best to limit screen time, but sleep still eludes us.

We are determined to figure out the underlying reasons for his sleep disruptions in order to help him get the sleep that he needs. Everyone deserves a good night’s rest and I know that if I am struggling, he for sure is struggling but just can not tell me.

I will investigate and advocate for my son as long as I breathe to help him have the best quality of life even with his limitations. Behind every special needs child is a mother who never gives up.

You can follow Sherica and her family’s journey on Facebook or Instagram at Autism_by_Divine