Emily Varon Emily Varon

Sleep Support in ABA: Why the Gap Exists and How We Can Close It

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.

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Emily Varon Emily Varon

Sustainability in Sleep: Why BCBAs Need to Program for the Future of Rest

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.

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Emily Varon Emily Varon

The Evolving Bedtime: Why Sleep Strategies Must Grow With Our Learners

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.

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Emily Varon Emily Varon

The Impact of Poor Sleep on the Autism Population—and How BCBAs Can Help

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.

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Emily Varon Emily Varon

What’s Sabotaging the Reinforcing Value of Sleep?

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?

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Emily Varon Emily Varon

Daytime Skill-Building for Bedtime Success

If you’ve ever worked with a learner who is reported to “fall asleep fine” – but then wakes up multiple times a night – you know just how challenging sleep problems can be. In these cases, we often focus on bedtime routines and strategies to encourage independent sleep, but we might be missing one crucial piece of the puzzle: daytime skill-building.

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Emily Varon Emily Varon

The Sleep Collective: A Game-Changer for BCBAs Seeking to Make a Lasting Impact

 If you've ever felt like you're just another face in the crowd of behavior analysts, or if you're searching for a specialty that truly makes a difference in the lives of your learners and their families, it’s time to step into something bigger. Let me introduce you to The Sleep Collective—the signature certification program designed to set you apart in the field of ABA and give you the tools you need to transform the way we approach sleep interventions.

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Emily Varon Emily Varon

Myth Busting: What Really Works (and Doesn’t) for Sleep

There’s no shortage of advice out there when it comes to helping our learners get better sleep, but not all of it is as effective as it seems. In fact, some of the most common sleep strategies can actually do more harm than good when it comes to achieving consistent, quality sleep.

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Emily Varon Emily Varon

Understanding Sleep Cycles: Why They Matter for Autistic Learners

Today, we’re diving into the science of sleep cycles and why they’re so important for our autistic learners. Sleep isn’t just about closing your eyes and waking up refreshed. It’s a dynamic process that involves several distinct stages, each crucial for cognitive function, emotional regulation, and overall well-being.

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Emily Varon Emily Varon

Melatonin and Sleep: What BCBAs Need to Know

Let’s talk about a topic that’s often discussed (and significantly more popular with the rise of oh-so many over-the-counter options) but not always fully understood: melatonin. This hormone (yes, you read that right) plays a crucial role in regulating sleep, but when it comes to its use in sleep interventions, especially for autistic learners, there’s more to consider than meets the eye.

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Emily Varon Emily Varon

The Impact of Blue Light on Sleep: What BCBAs Need to Know

Today, we're diving into a topic that is increasingly relevant in our tech-driven world: the impact of blue light on sleep, particularly within the autistic community. With screen time becoming an ever-present part of our learners' daily routines, understanding how blue light affects sleep can help us develop better sleep interventions and support healthier habits.

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Emily Varon Emily Varon

The Role of Physical Activity in Promoting Healthy Sleep

Let’s talk about a topic that has the power to transform not only how our community moves through their day but also how they rest at night—physical activity. We all know that exercise is good for us, but did you know that it plays a crucial role in promoting healthy sleep?

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Emily Varon Emily Varon

Environmental Modifications for Better Sleep in Our Learners

We've all seen the profound difference a good night's sleep can make in our learners' behavior and overall well-being. But here's the thing: getting to that peaceful, restful state often starts with where they lay their heads. Yes, we're talking about the sleep environment.

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Emily Varon Emily Varon

The Science of Sleep and Autism (back to basics)

Let’s embark on a journey into the fascinating world of sleep science and its unique application to our autistic learners. While we all appreciate the importance of a good night's sleep, understanding the science behind it can provide us with valuable insights and tools to enhance our interventions.

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Emily Varon Emily Varon

Developing Effective Sleep Plans for Our Community

We know that good sleep is the foundation for a productive day, but creating a sleep plan that works for each unique learner can sometimes feel like solving a Rubik's cube blindfolded. Fear not! With the right approach, we can craft individualized, sustainable, and effective sleep plans that help our learners thrive.

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Emily Varon Emily Varon

Behavioral Strategies for Better Sleep

Let’s talk about sleep, baby—glorious, wonderful, sometimes elusive sleep. We all know the magic of a good night’s rest, but for many autistic learners, sleep can be a bit of a puzzle. The good news?

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