Sleep habits and routines are essential:

Maintain regular schedules:

• Time to go to sleep
• Time to wake up
• Feeding times
• If you use electronic devices late in the afternoon, activate sleep mode (white/blue light blockers).

Maintain a nighttime ambient light: orange spectrum

Time to turn off

Once these routines are established, they can be enhanced with additional routines that help prepare the child for sleep before bedtime. This involves doing things outside the child's room that promote relaxation beforehand, lowering cortisol levels and body temperature. This preparatory phase reduces anxiety because the child already knows it's time to get ready for bed.

Most children with autism need to take melatonin , a medication not covered by the public health system, to improve sleep onset or maintenance. In some cases, extended-release melatonin is prescribed.