This article draws on the work of Emily Varon, MS, BCBA, whose approach to behavioral sleep support emphasizes parsimony—starting with the most likely, highest-impact variables before moving into more complicated explanations.

If bedtime has become a nightly battle in your home, you are not alone.

Sleep challenges are very common among autistic children. Research cited by the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that 50–80% of children with autism experience sleep problems, including difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early.

And when a child isn't sleeping well, the effects rarely stay confined to nighttime. Poor sleep can affect attention, mood, regulation, learning, and daytime behavior—and it can leave the entire family exhausted.

So what can parents do?

There is no single sleep strategy that works for every child. But one of the most helpful ideas from sleep and behavior science is surprisingly simple: start with the big things before getting caught up in the small things.

Emily Varon, MS, BCBA, founder of Ready Set Sleep, emphasizes this idea in her work with behavior analysts. She describes parsimony as starting with the simplest, most likely explanation before getting caught up in every possible variable.

As Varon explains:

“Before heading down the rabbit hole of ‘could it be…,’ start with the variables most likely to matter.”

That is a helpful place for parents to start, too.

Look at the Whole Day—Not Just Bedtime

When a child isn't sleeping at night, it can be tempting to focus entirely on what happens once they get into bed.

But sleep doesn't begin at bedtime.

Take a look at the entire day.

Ask yourself:

• What time does my child wake up?
• What time do they go to bed?
• Are they still napping?
• How long is the nap?
• What time does the nap happen?
• How active is my child during the day?
• Does the schedule change significantly on weekends?
• Is bedtime actually appropriate for my child's current sleep needs?

For younger children, naps can be an important part of healthy development. But as children grow, their sleep needs change. A nap that was necessary six months ago may now be making it harder for your child to fall asleep at night.

This doesn't mean every nap should be eliminated. Instead, consider when the nap occurs, how long it lasts, and how it affects nighttime sleep.

If you're unsure whether your child's daytime sleep is appropriate for their age and individual needs, talk with your pediatrician.

Consistency Matters More Than Perfection

Children's schedules don't have to be perfect. But when possible, consistency helps create predictable sleep patterns.

One of the most useful things you can do is keep wake-up and bedtime relatively consistent throughout the week.

That means trying not to have a dramatically different schedule on Saturday and Sunday.

For example, if your child normally wakes at 7:00 a.m. on weekdays but sleeps until 10:00 a.m. on weekends, Sunday night's bedtime may become much more difficult.

Think of your child's sleep schedule as a rhythm. Large changes from one day to the next can make that rhythm harder to maintain.

Consistency doesn't mean your family can never stay up late or sleep in. Life happens. The goal is simply to make the usual schedule predictable.

Create a Calm, Predictable Bedtime Routine

A bedtime routine doesn't need to be elaborate.

In fact, simpler may be better.

A predictable routine might look something like:

Bath → pajamas → brush teeth → books → lights out

The exact activities aren't important. What matters is that the routine is:

• Predictable
• Calm
• Appropriate for your child's age
• Repeated in roughly the same order each night
• Not filled with highly stimulating activities

For children who benefit from visual supports, a visual bedtime schedule can make the routine easier to understand.

Instead of repeatedly telling your child what comes next, the visual schedule can show them.

This can be particularly helpful for children who have difficulty with transitions or understanding the passage of time.

Is Bedtime Actually the Right Time?

Sometimes the problem isn't the bedtime routine.

The problem may be bedtime itself.

If your child consistently spends an hour or more playing, talking, getting out of bed, or otherwise showing that they aren't ready to sleep, it may be worth examining whether bedtime is appropriately timed.

On the other hand, an overtired child may also have difficulty settling.

This is one reason it can be helpful to look at the entire sleep schedule rather than simply deciding that your child needs to “try harder” to fall asleep.

A bedtime should reflect your child's age, developmental needs, daytime sleep, and individual sleep pattern.

If you're unsure whether your child's sleep schedule is appropriate, your pediatrician or a qualified sleep professional can help.

Pay Attention to What Helps Your Child Fall Asleep

Here's another question worth asking:

What does my child need in order to fall asleep?

Maybe you lie next to your child until they fall asleep.

Maybe you rub their back.

Maybe they need a specific song playing.

Maybe the lights need to stay on.

Maybe they fall asleep while watching a tablet or television.

None of these automatically means you've done anything wrong.

But consider what happens later.

If your child wakes naturally during the night and the condition that helped them fall asleep is no longer there, they may have difficulty getting back to sleep.

For example, if a parent stays beside a child until they fall asleep but isn't there when the child wakes at 2:00 a.m., the child may seek the same condition again.

This is sometimes called a sleep association.

The goal isn't necessarily to remove every comforting part of bedtime. Instead, it is worth considering whether there is a significant difference between how your child falls asleep initially and what is available when they wake during the night.

What About Screens Before Bed?

“Turn off the screens before bedtime” is advice most parents have heard many times.

And there is a reason it has become common advice.

However, sleep recommendations shouldn't necessarily be treated as one-size-fits-all rules.

Emily Varon has highlighted this issue in her work, emphasizing that sleep recommendations need to be considered in the context of the individual child rather than assuming that one variable explains every sleep problem.

So rather than asking only:

“Does my child use a screen before bed?”

also ask:

“Does screen use appear to be affecting my child's ability to fall asleep or stay asleep?”

If screens seem to make winding down more difficult, experiment with ending screen time earlier and replacing it with a quieter activity.

Try:

• Reading together
• Listening to calm music
• Looking at books
• Drawing
• Quiet play
• A warm bath
• A predictable bedtime routine

And remember that changing a well-established routine can take time. You don't necessarily have to make a dramatic change overnight.

Don't Forget the Sleep Environment

Sometimes the simplest environmental changes can make a difference.

Take a look at your child's bedroom.

Is it dark?

Some children sleep better in a very dark room. Consider blackout curtains if outside light is interfering with sleep.

Is it comfortable?

Think about temperature, bedding, clothing, and other sensory factors.

Is it quiet enough?

Some children are particularly sensitive to sounds that other family members barely notice.

Others may actually sleep better with consistent background noise.

Is the room too warm?

A cool, comfortable sleeping environment may support better sleep than a warm room.

And, as Emily Varon points out in her sleep education, environmental factors are worth considering—but they don't necessarily need to be the first thing families change.

Start with the big-picture variables first.

Then work your way down to the smaller details if necessary.

A Simple Sleep Checklist for Parents

If you're feeling overwhelmed by your child's sleep challenges, don't try to change everything at once.

Start here.

1. Look at the whole schedule

☐ What time does my child wake up?
☐ What time do they go to bed?
☐ Are they napping?
☐ When and for how long?
☐ Is the weekend schedule significantly different?

2. Look at bedtime

☐ Is bedtime appropriate for my child's current sleep needs?
☐ Is my child overtired—or perhaps not tired enough?
☐ Is bedtime happening at roughly the same time each night?

3. Look at the routine

☐ Is the routine predictable?
☐ Is it calm rather than stimulating?
☐ Does my child know what comes next?
☐ Would a visual schedule help?

4. Look at what happens when your child falls asleep

☐ Does someone need to stay in the room?
☐ Does the child need music, lights, a specific object, or another condition?
☐ Is that same condition available if they wake during the night?

5. Look at the environment

☐ Is the room dark enough?
☐ Is it comfortably cool?
☐ Is noise disrupting sleep?
☐ Are there sensory factors that may be interfering with comfort?

6. Change one thing at a time when possible

When you change five things at once, it becomes difficult to know what actually helped.

Instead, consider making one reasonable change, giving it some time, and watching what happens.

When Sleep Problems Continue

Sometimes sleep problems aren't solved by a consistent schedule and bedtime routine.

And that's okay.

Sleep can be affected by many factors, including medical conditions, medications, anxiety, sensory differences, gastrointestinal issues, breathing problems, restless legs, and other concerns.

Talk with your child's pediatrician if sleep problems are persistent, severe, or affecting your child's health or daytime functioning.

A behavior analyst can also be helpful when sleep-related behaviors are interfering with daily life, particularly when the challenges involve routines, transitions, reinforcement, or patterns around falling asleep and staying asleep.

Importantly, behavioral sleep support should complement—not replace—medical evaluation when a medical concern may be contributing to the problem.

Start Simple

When families are exhausted, it’s easy to search for a complicated answer. But before changing everything, take a step back and look at the big picture: your child’s daily schedule, naps, bedtime timing, bedtime routine, sleep habits, night wakings, and sleep environment.

As Emily Varon emphasizes in her work, starting with the variables most likely to matter can help families avoid feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes better sleep starts with simpler questions.

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How Thrive ABA Therapy Can Help

At Thrive ABA Therapy, we know that what happens at night can affect the entire next day.

Sleep challenges can make it harder for children to participate in school, therapy, family activities, and everyday routines. They can also leave parents exhausted and feeling like they've tried everything.

Our BCBAs work collaboratively with families to understand the patterns surrounding challenging behaviors and daily routines. When sleep-related concerns are within our scope of practice, we can help families look at the behavioral and environmental factors that may be contributing to the problem and develop practical strategies that fit into real family life.

We also believe that sleep support should be individualized. What works for one child may not work for another.

And sometimes, the most helpful first step isn't a complicated intervention.

It's taking a step back, looking at the whole picture, and starting with the things most likely to make a difference.