Night Terrors | Autism PDD

Hi all. I was just wondering if anyone can give me advice on what to do w/ night terrors. Is there anything you can do besides just wait for them to snap out of it? My son is killing me at night right now. He's always had some sleep issues here and there but this night terror thing is recent and unnerving. He kicks and screams and nothing that would normally console him works. A few times he has hurt me pretty good. Anyone else having this issue or has in past?

Amber

What we were told by the doc (and it worked) was to turn on the lights and try to calmly wake the child. Even though your kids eyes may be open and he or she is focused on you or someone or something, they are NOT awake. They have somehow worked you (person witnessing terror) into their dream and you are seen as "the bad guy or monster or whatever". We just had to let dd run around our bed in circles screaming and scared of us as we had all the lights on and we tried to wake her. After some time, she woke and realized it was ok, but after all that crying, she was still shaken, so it took a couple of hours to get her sleeping peacefully. She finally outgrew it, though it did happen 2 or 3 times a week for a few weeks. Every time was easier and easier to get her back to sleeping peacefully. Good luck, I know how unnerving it can be.

Rachelle

Or when it doesn't even begin to get dark till 9pm! LOL So much for early bedtime! I so hope everything is ok for ya.

Rachelle

Hi Amber,

My oldest Daughter doesn't have autism, but my 9 y/o Son does....My Daughter had night terrors for a whole year!! No KIDDING!! I had to keep waking her & then letting her fall to sleep while holding my hand. This happened AFTER her biological dad & I divorced, she was 3.

My Son has only had a few bouts with night terrors, but no where NEAR as bad as my Daughter did.

Good Luck!

God Bless you & your Family & keep you all safe!

Linda...aka Tony'sMom...aka MWN64My son has them and we just calmy talk to him while they are happening. They can last up to an hour and half. I feel awful for him!

My husband has them also and he really helps with them. There ar times where I think Jagger is awake and my husband just seems to know what to do. Probably because he has them. With Eric (hubby)I just talk to him and then he usually wakes up within a few minutes.

I hate that with Jagger I can't wake him. I just want to make him not afraid. We have even put him in a cold bath when it has lasted over two hours (only once). The funny thing is the cold water doesn't do much. Sensory issues. Eventually he woke up!

I wish I could help you. I'm sorry.

Thank you so much for the replies. So far his have not lasted more than 1/2 hr. Last time we took him outside in the dark. He woke up and then was looking for the moon. He really has a thing for the moon and won't go to sleep until he gets to see it first. It is NOT fun when the moon is hidden! lol.

Amber

Hi amber, Back in march at the overnite EEG for 3.long dayyyyyyyssssss..when they couldnt find Christian's seizures so I said WHAT IS IT THEN...I HAVE A PAPER THE NEURO. GAVE ME AND I READ EVERY THING ON THE NITE TERRORS..I WILL HAVE TO LOOK TOMM. AND GET SOME ANSWERS FOR YOU AND A WEBSITE. REL. TO THEM...THIS went n started w/my son sept. till april everynite a few times dur. FORGET HAVING FRIENDS VISIT..at that time..i was mentally n physically drained..so he was soiling his pants also but screamin wheres my mommy wheres my mommy...so sad..i just used to lay w/him n softly rub hhis head after he calmed.. FINALLY IN APRIL NUERO, DID A ASAP FOR A EEG OVERNITE N THEY FOUND THE SEIZURES SO he now is taking depakote and My life is better n he feels better..it wasnt nite terrors..i have heard drs. prescribing something for nite terrors..its in the paperwrk..did you take him to a nuero. yet? or has a sleep study been done...with autistic kids they can do diff. tests checking electrical charges in the brain.SEPT TEST ..hang in there and I hope you get some sleep soon.cyndie

Thanks for all you info cyndie. No he hasn't been taken in yet. The night terrors have just recently started. I think he might have had them a couple of times in the past, but I didn't know what they were.

I am in the process of doing evaluation. I have sent video and paperwork to a center in a city across state, and then I have also contacted a local place I just recently found. This way we'll see who gets to us first. I haven't thought of trying a neuro yet. I don't know what I'm doing honestly. My head hasn't been screwed on right since the middle of last mth as I have other issues to deal w/ and it has me distracted. I'm eager to find answers for ds, but at same time I'm so distracted that I had put it off for weeks (that and I had trouble doing the 30 min video they wanted). Oh well...not like ds is going to change if he is on the spectrum. So if they get us in next mth or next year either way if he actually has the disorder it will still be there. I'm just going to let things flow for now.

Amber

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Amber

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My son had night terrors from the age of three months until he was 4 1/2 years old. We contacted a local group that told us that the window between being tired and being overstimulated was about 5 minutes. As soon as we set up a ritual of lying on the sofa at 8:30 and watching tv covered with a blanket - he would start to wind down and be asleep by nine. We haven't had a night terror since. We used to let him fall asleep on his own because it was easier but he fell right into the sofa and lights out routine. Now he comes to us and tells us that he is ready for bed.

Hope it can help