When it comes to bedtime struggles, many caregivers—and even professionals—are quick to reach for a behavior plan to address "big behaviors" at night. The meltdowns, refusals, screaming, elopement, or demand avoidance can make bedtime feel like a battle, leaving families exhausted and feeling defeated. But before we focus on reinforcement schedules, extinction procedures, or token systems, we need to take a step back.

As behavior analysts, we often focus on early childhood development, but sleep challenges don’t disappear as learners grow. Adolescents—especially autistic adolescents—experience biological shifts in sleep timing that must be acknowledged and supported. Many families struggle with long bedtime battles, excessive sleep latency, and unsustainable sleep dependencies because their child’s sleep needs are being treated as developmental rather than biological.

For over two decades, I’ve worked in behavior analysis, and for the last 14 years, I’ve dedicated my career to sleep. Why? Because sleep is one of the most critical and overlooked variables in behavioral success. And yet, despite its significance, most BCBAs aren’t trained in sleep science.

For many caregivers, bedtime is a nightly battle, with children resisting sleep, pushing bedtimes later and later, and sometimes staying awake for hours past what seems reasonable. A common approach among well-meaning caregivers is to allow children to “listen to their bodies” and fall asleep when they feel tired. The problem? The internal sleep clock isn’t always the most reliable guide—especially for children.

When caregivers tell us, “We finally got them to sleep—thank goodness for that medication,” it can be tempting to breathe a sigh of relief right along with them. Sleep challenges can push families to their limits, and any sign of improvement often feels like a win. But as behavior analysts working alongside families, we need to understand what’s actually happening beneath the surface. Sedatives may look like a solution, but when it comes to sleep quality, the reality is more complex.

For many caregivers, bed-wetting can feel like an ongoing mystery—why does it happen? When should we be concerned? And most importantly, can it be “taught” away?

As BCBAs, we know that behavior is influenced by reinforcement, learning history, and environmental factors. But when it comes to bed-wetting, developmental readiness plays the biggest role. It’s not just about behavior—it’s about biology. So, let’s dive into what we actually know about bed-wetting, what we don’t, and what we need to stop doing immediately.

If you've ever wondered why some kids crash into bed at night while others seem to gain a second wind as the evening drags on, the answer may lie in a little-known sleep chemical: adenosine.

For many learners, particularly those with a history of trauma, sleep isn’t just a biological process—it’s an emotional one. Trauma can disrupt the ability to settle, feel safe, and transition into restorative sleep, making it critical for BCBAs to approach sleep programming with sensitivity and care. A trauma-informed perspective recognizes that sleep challenges are not just behavioral hurdles to overcome but are often rooted in deep emotional and physiological responses.

In the world of sleep science, there’s one hot topic that keeps grabbing headlines: screen time. It’s no secret that technology has become a massive part of our lives, and for many learners in the autism community, screens can feel like a lifeline. But when it comes to sleep, these glowing devices may be doing more harm than good.

When families come to us with concerns about their learner’s sleep, the symptoms they describe often sound like a behavior checklist:

• “They won’t stay in bed.”

• “It takes them two hours to fall asleep.”

• “They refuse to go to sleep.”

• “They come out of bed six times a night.”

As the new year inches ever closer, it’s the perfect time to reflect on 2024—a year filled with milestones, growth, and connection. Whether through training Certified Behavioral Sleep Specialists, speaking at conferences, or sharing sleep resources with thousands, 2024 has been nothing short of transformative for me and Ready Set Sleep.

If you’ve been in the ABA world long enough, chances are you’ve encountered families who co-sleep. Maybe it’s a 5-year-old who curls up in their parents’ bed every night or a 9-year-old who’s never slept alone. And every now and then, someone on the team raises an eyebrow and says, “Isn’t co-sleeping bad?”

We’ve all heard it before: “I’ll just catch up on sleep this weekend.” It sounds logical, doesn’t it? After all, a few late nights during the week can surely be balanced out by sleeping in on Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately, this idea doesn’t hold up under the microscope of sleep science. Sleep simply doesn’t work that way.

In partnership with Autism Feeding Specialist: Valori Neiger, MS, BCBA

Sleep and feeding are essential to overall health, but for many autistic learners, these two key aspects of daily life can often be out of sync. Poor sleep and feeding challenges are interrelated in ways that many caregivers and professionals might not fully understand.

It’s that time of year—holiday parties, family gatherings, late-night celebrations, and a flurry of events that make life richer, but let’s be real, they can also send sleep routines into a tailspin. For families supporting autistic learners, the idea of disrupted sleep might feel daunting. But here’s a refreshing perspective: it’s okay to let sleep take a back seat while you enjoy the season.

When it comes to supporting autistic learners, sleep is one of the most critical—and most overlooked—factors affecting their quality of life. Research shows that over 40% of autistic learners experience problematic sleep, including difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or achieving restorative sleep. These issues have far-reaching consequences, impacting not only the learner but also their families, caregivers, and the effectiveness of ABA interventions.

When it comes to sleep, sustainability is a fickle pickle. In most of our work as BCBAs, once a skill is achieved, maintained, and generalized, it has a high likelihood of sticking. Sure, some learned skills may see occasional dips in performance, but it’s rare to see a well-mastered skill “suddenly” vanish. However, sleep doesn’t quite fit that mold.

One of the most common pieces of advice parents hear is, “Keep a consistent bedtime.” While consistency is important, what often gets left out is that bedtime itself needs to evolve as our learners grow. Holding a 15-year-old to the same bedtime we set when they were five doesn’t take into account their biological changes and their changing sleep needs—and it can actually work against our goals for quality sleep and positive behavior.

As BCBAs, we often focus on supporting behavior and learning throughout the day, but what if one of the biggest barriers to progress is what happens at night? Sleep is an often-overlooked factor in the development and well-being of the autistic community, yet it plays a critical role in shaping their daytime behavior, emotional regulation, and ability to engage with the world around them.

As BCBAs, we know that reinforcement is everything when it comes to shaping behavior. Whether it’s teaching new skills or reducing challenging behaviors, we rely on the power of reinforcement to make meaningful progress. But what happens when sleep itself loses its reinforcing value for our learners?