I am deaf autistic adult person. In 1970's and 1980's which is never hear word "Autism" at this time. I have difficult to get sleep. When staff (I was at school's dorm) commanded me to get sleep, I went to bed. I lied down on the bed, but I cannot close my eyes. I was thinking weird stories for between 30 minutes to 2 hours before I can close my eyes and sleep.

I just love seeing Ian & I enjoy when he talks about his hobbies. He's really matured so much...

I like how each boy has their own bed time routine. The two younger boys have a really neat night light. I am 51 and I was diagnosed with autism very young and I still have to sleep with a night light. Plus I turn my TV timer on so it becomes my white noise. I can't sleep in complete silence. It is hard when you're routine changes even a little without any notice.

I love,Ian's routine of being consistent with reminding you guys with reading mature / anvanced books to him every night and being consistent with his morning routine automatically without mom or dad I relate to Ian and Alistair loving their stuffed animals and I especially relate to conner needing white noise at night because I currently live in a place with 5 other people so it gets pretty irritating whenever there's talking to one's self in the next room or even whenever tantrums or screaming \crying for attention seeking situations do occur at night.

Some things that I have found helpful (not in any specific order) 1. Weighted Blankets 2. Heated Blankets 3. Fleece Bedding (sheets, pillow cases, and blankets) 4. Weighted Eye Masks 5. Soft Music or White Noise 6. Ugg Pillows 7. Ear Plugs or Noise Cancelling Headphones (this means your alarm will have to be louder, though) 8. Heated Stuffies (are often heated via microwave) 9. Weighted Stuffies 10. Consistency with Bedding (bringing my usual bedding on trips even if bedding is provided)

Dear family, i want to thank you. I am a 27 year old female with autism. I found out about your channel last week. autism in boys is different than in girls, but your stories have helped me a lot. I was only diagnosed at 18 and i hated it. This week i found out that what i have isn't necessarily tics, it's stimming. That's something I always try to hide. I want to be as normal as possible. But because of your videos, after almost 10 years, there has been some kind of acceptance of my autism this week. Thanks! Love you guys! from the Netherlands, Jacolien

This brings up a time when I would stay the night at my cousin Trey’s house, you see our grandmother passed away and I decided to stay in her old bedroom with him and keep him company by talking until my cousin fell asleep. My cousin who has Autism is a good person that's why I love him so much and he's one of my favorite ones in our family. I will do anything for him and always show cousin Trey that I care about him. You have three amazing boys that are very well-behaved, I can tell you and your wife have been there for them since they were first born.😊😊😊

I’m almost 30 years old and this helps me to know what I may be needing to do for my children in the future. I also need this stuff! ❤

I can't believe how big the boys have gotten! It seems like just yesterday, you were doing your first videos with them!

And it’s awesome he’s reading his bible and that is food for the soul. God bless you Ian

It is so important to have routine for them to have guidelines even for when they get older like Ian is learning. It really does give them their independence which is great . My son Thomas has to talk or make sounds in order to exhaust his output lol, yes and has a paw patrol lamp with a blue light bulb. I was told by a doctor that it’s a calming colour and soothing. I sometimes struggle with routine with him because it depends what mood he is in , and we had to remove his tv out of his room due to him watching till midnight lol. So we got smart and removed all electronics lol. Thank you for sharing and it’s great to see Ian growing up to a productive young man

I have a wonderful autistic grandson. You are the most lovely parents.

It is so important what you are doing by documenting what autism in kids looks like. Very helpful, many thanks!

I love that Ian is doing soooo good he is amazing in taking care of himself like a person who doesn't have autism. Nice job, Ian!

I love the way Ian always looks so pleased when he's on camera. And how he speaks. Very articulated and proper. Good speaker

Thank you for sharing! The boys are so sweet and tell them thank you for us, for sharing!! We really appreciate your content. Happy early New Year in case we don’t see another video before the year ends!! :)

Routine was a must when my son was growing up. It had to be done a certain way and the same every time.

i really love the new theme eg the name tags ☺️ i’ve been subbed since 2017 and i’m so so happy i can get to comment 🎉 it’s amazing how much you have grown as a channel and as a family ❤

I'm autistic. I have a weighted blanket and lots of layers too and tons of stuffed animals! I have that exact same green water bottle that Connor has. Please keep up with Ian's braces journey I'm starting in 2 weeks from today.

Your kids are so relatable I'm still young and I feel that your doing great keep up the hard work!

Thank you for another great informative video. My 5 yo's bedtime routine goes on for about 1 hour currently (including shower, teeth, and snuggles in our bed). My 17-year-old takes about 30 minutes in his routine but starts preparing a little before that by turning off electronics, etc. except he falls asleep to his favorite music. I fall asleep to music all the time, too! ♥️

I’ve slept with a weighted blanket for well over a decade at this point (my mom made mine, 20 lbs, swore she’d never do it again after lol) and my sleep quality is really terrible without it. I also need to do something calming but mentally engaging before I go to sleep- I’ll do sudoku, logic puzzles, nonograms/picross, chess, wordle etc. depending on what I’m into at any given moment- lately I’ll do 10-20 quick solves on my Rubik’s cube to wind down. It has the added bonus of being a great fidget too. I also need melatonin lol, if my brain had its way my days and nights would be completely flipped.

Great Video! And I loved seeing Britney so much, you are doing great! I have a hot water bottle in my bed, too. This calms and comforts me a lot. I have my playlist for bedtime (music), which helps me feel safe and relaxed. Thank you for sharing your experiences! Its also helpful for adults like me. Lots of love!

my parents always sung to us kids when we were small and my dad also played guitar. I am an adult now, but I still like hearing my parents sing and make music. home-made music with instruments and music you know is a beautiful. you'll never be too old for enjoying hearing your parent sing. I also really enjoy listening to voices I know well when they talk. my parents, my dad siblings and my grandparents often talked and discussed in the evening and when the door was left a little ajar I could hear them talk. My grandma was extremely smart. She knew 7ish languages and had a lot of knowledge and wisdom ...my granddad only knew 4 languages and a bit of French but he was also really smart and they often had guests that had really specialised research topics, so listening to them discuss, infodump and laugh was very interesting but also comforting. I felt safe listening to them and knowing they were there. Nowadays I like to listen to people on youtube or podcasts to fall asleep and calming me down when I wake up in the middle of the night. I struggled with not sleeping since I was a baby (my poor parents) and for me personally the most important thing that made it better was giving a) more time to unwind and get ready before it's time to bed (it's around an hour) and be very consistent with the time so I get enough sleep in even if it takes me 2-4 hours to fall asleep. being wrapped up in a blanket really tightly also helps.

I got the idea of the weighted blanket from Ian. I have had way less sleep issues since getting one. It has to be dark and quiet I have had issues sleeping due to light with blackout blinds above the window. Going somewhere new has different lights and sounds which can be tough to sleep in.

Thank you for your video's! they are always comforting and helpful.

I am 23 nearly 24 and I still sleep with heaps of stuffed toys and a blanket to sleep with and a waited blanket. I got the waited blanket idea from you guys so thank you so much it has helped me so much better to sleep

Being on the spectrum, I also like having some sort of night light and reading my scriptures before I turn out my light. I also really love weighted blankets but it's really hot where I live so it's hard to stay comfortable.

look forward to see you again in 2023

You are doing a very good job . Its so helpful .More power to you.

I really like your blog on the bed time is amazing &your amazing parents ❤

I have a weighted blanket that I use at night, it helps me to keep calm. I have some stuffed animals that I also sleep with. I also sleep with Soundscapes on. Soundscapes is a music channel on cable that plays meditation and sound healing music. Music is my main comfort tool, along with the rest of my comfort items.

not the word "clopen" making me giggle for 5 minutes straight

I love seeing lds families on yt. As a kid my family and teachers never thought to get me tested because I was so good a masking everyone just thought I was shy.

I love how u both are so patient and gentle with ur boys, I’m sure it’s taken a long time to get to that point. My sons bedtime routine is he has to take sum melatonin, I have to take his headphones and tablet away, put on his sound box machine that makes rain sounds and then I have to cuddle him til he goes to sleep. Often he’ll wake up thru the nite and jump into bed with me which I hope eventually he can get thru the nite without having to do that

I love my bed time routine it helps a lot😊

Beautiful supportive family. I have decades on these kids. I daren't admit how long it takes me to brush my teeth still (stimming?). It's no problem. I had a pillow case when I was a toddler but my mom called us into her bedroom for a meeting and told us to stop. She couldn't take away my thumb though! I thought the "princess and the pea" comparison was original to me! Best wishes

There are night lights projecting stars that are portable. I have one that i take with me when i go on trips. I also sleep with starry nights and stuffed animals, weighted blankets and a pillow case that i love the texture of. I am 27. Nothing wrong with having comfort items. I have autism and many other disabilities.

Thank you so much for sharing the warm water toothbrush trick. Our brushing battles seem to be over. I really can't believe it.

Thank you for posting

❤ totally going to find the hot water bottle for my son… thanks for sharing!

Loves and well wishes your family, my 4 years old nephew has ASD and will not sleep unless the room is fully dark and everybody is sleeping and not moving, when he stayed in our place, we were forced to adjust and sleep on regular sleeping hours of 10pm otherwise the kid will stay awake active until 2am where he gets tired of his own.

Something that can be a major factor in sleep for many neurodivergent people is their light exposure routine. Ideally, humans should be exposed to more light in morning and very little at night. I have ASD and ADHD, and I was recently diagnosed with Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder. While it is highly genetic, I think my light exposure routine has played a huge role. Light therapy in the morning and dark therapy at night are often the most effective treatments. This has been very difficult for me because I have sensory issues with light and do not like to expose myself to light in the morning. I am more “stimmish” when I’m tired, so I find it annoying to have to dim the lights at night. Many circadian rhythm disorders can result from or be made worse by being exposed to light at the wrong time of day or not having a set light exposure routine. For example, a lack of consistency with light exposure can lead to Non-24 Hour Drift Disorder.

I absolutely love your videos ❤ thay are soo helpful to us 👩‍👧‍👦 we really appreciate you doing this it means the world 🌍 because we are still waiting for autism and adhd diagnosis your a really beautiful loving family your boys are soo amazing ❤ stay blessed 🕯🙏🏼thank you again

Thank you for sharing your night routine.

Love the floor bed I have one myself. I also love to brush my teeth in hot water

I have a weighted blanket that I sleep with at night and it really helps calm me down because sometimes I get really wound up.

Hi family! Thank you for the nice video. Good to see you all doing well. Beautiful bedrooms have the boys. I remember an empty bedroom for Ian and Connor many years ago. Just somerhing to sleep and a hole in the door. I have a night light for sleeping. It's a little bit difficult to write it in English. But I can write it in Dutch, but you can't read it. I think. 😂 Have a nice New Years eve tomorrow. A big hug from the Netherlands. 🇳🇱😃❤️🇺🇲⭐️

great video, great educating, keep up the great work.

What great parents! 😊😊

Ian, I'm the same way with my blankets, haha! I have my sheet, weighted blanket and then more blankets on top.

I adore allisters dogs, they’re nice. Also I think he looks it cause it looks like a puppy, I have autism myself and that’s what I think when I have this tiny little dog, for me I have a little pug

Brilliant parents.❤️

I'm on the autism spectrum just like Ian I'm able to get ready for bed at night also I'm able to get up and get ready for school I just graduated from a transition program for special Ed students that deals with children on the autism spectrum.

You guys have a great bedtime routine. My twin sister and I who are considered non verbal because we only have five functioning words do the same thing: we will literally crawl down each step, waddle down the hall: low muscle tone and mobility issues, and come find our parents just to sign to them that we didn’t get our night light. Also we have the same one and our favorite stuffies would be my NC State WolfPack pillow pet, her Ladybug Pillow Pet, a giant SpongeBob that I “won”at the state fair back in 2014 and a beanie baby that she got for Christmas 3 years ago. Then we both get pacifiers which my parents say we shouldn’t have at nearly 20 years old but they let us have them for night time only and everyone else is on board with that. And we know that as soon as we wake up in the morning or mom and dad come to get us we have to give them back

Very interesting to see, thanks. I have close to zero control over the use of my phone. I need to have it taken away at night too. I'd probably sleep a lot more. Cheers!

I slept with a sound machine on the same setting for pretty much my whole childhood lol, now I sleep under my weighted blanket, and I've always needed to hold a snoedel or stuffed animal or something

Hey I have that fidget in the begginning, it's pretty good. But I use sensory slugs which are great,

Nice routines!!!

I always have my nighttime glass of milk before I go to bed. I really struggle with teeth brushing (since I was a baby) so that usually depends on my sensory needs. I use my phone at night for sleep stories and bedtime songs/sensory time. My current favorite plushie is my beady-eyed dinosaur, Lieutenant Scales (I'm currently holding him as I type this)

This is so good!

The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or sometimes autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and the presence of repetitive behavior and restricted interests. Other common features include unusual responses to sensory stimuli, and an insistence on sameness or strict adherence to routine.😊

4:40 A fun thing is that mathematicians use the word “clopen” in certain situations. With a similar motivation.

I have the exact same green venom car poster in my room as well and a car collection. I also have a certain that’s the only one I lay my head on at night

I’m so happy I found this channel. Give us tips about how you guy did with potty training please?

I got autism and anxiety

I have to have a fan on as white noise and I still have stuffed animals in arranged spots so I can easily reach it. I’m glad I don’t have to sleep with the TV on but I have to listen to music as I’m getting settled in bed.

I talk myself to sleep as well and I also don't like being touched or hugged, touch and hugs feel like when you rub your feet on the floor and then touch at metal doorknob and it shocks you that what it feels like throughout my whole body

Hello, I’m an 54 and I have shown many traits of being on the spectrum for either autism and or Asperger’s. However, however, when I was a lot younger, it wasn’t properly understood as it is nowadays. In a nutshell, I have had to struggle through life very much on my own. For example, I had the condition, Ekolu, Leah, if something scared me easily, I go into a huge meltdown including when I attended play school at the age of 4 1/2, the room had been changed round and this frightened me, and needless to say, I went into a huge meltdown. These and other traits I have shown, but on the other hand, I am extremely capable, so determined including how I’ve had the ability to cook meals since I was 10 years old and younger given the chance so therefore, I’ve never been special-needs, though, I have been known to be a slow learner. I’ve also got a profound unique detailed memory and a profound musical talent as well as other talents/abilities. I reside in beautiful sheltered accommodation where there is a support worker if needs be though I don’t get care as I don’t need or want this as again, I like to be as sufficient, face challenges and do what I can for myself which is most things these days.

Have you tried the, "Hongjin extra soft toothbrush brand?" I prefer them for myself as I dislike the more course bristles too.

I also have a collection of stuffed animals similar to Ian.

Hi! Thank you for a Bedtime routine. I love that Ian is so on top of reminding you to read the book of Mormon or the bible (Maybe that should be one of my new years resolutions). I think Ian might need to teach me how to do that... Do you have any videos on your channel about Sensory Overload with tips for dealing with it and all that? I just got back from a New Year's Eve party and there were so many people there and all the talking and just all the noise and bright lights from flashing bracelets to celebrate East Coast Time instead of Oregon time. I was trying to have my space but the quietest place I could find was the living room of a friends house where I don't really know anyone to well. My brother was with a friend in the living room and they kept trying to punch me whenever I came in to say that they were having their alone time to talk. So that space wasn't an option. It was so overwhelming. Do you have any tips? Also... Do you have any videos explaining being Neurodivergent and being Neurotypical? That would also be helpful for me. Thanks! Happy New Year and late Merry Christmas!

P.S those like ourselves with such conditions, and even those with more profound learning disabilities, are the most helpful loving folk, who want to do anything and are perhaps a lot more capable than others may realise given the chance. For example, there are those who are non-verbal, but must get very frustrated if they can’t get their point across and want to show their abilities and again find difficult to cope with when they cannot express themselves, which in one way is a positive as again, they want to exhale themselves and do what they can.

4:43 😂I definitely understood as soon as he said it

Ian still likes Zelda. I like his Zelda t shirt

I have some similar routine I talk to myself for a while at night bc my mind is so active 😂 full of ideas

I’m like Alistair I have my hot water bottle that is soft and my pillow cases. I also have my knee pillow (i hate my thighs touching at night). I also have my giant unicorn, my clouded leopard , Moonpaw, my space light and my box fan. I also sleep with a youtube video on in the background. Realized I already commented once….. guess this is more in depth of my night time comforts.

Is that sarcasm I'm hearing about Ian waking you up? That's hilarious 😅

Hey my friend has a knotts snoopy like that holding a Boysenberry and yours is a purple mini version. 😂 How cute we go to knotts every week. Yes i too, need a fan so i dont hear xats screaming and fighting outside or cars that can startle me in my sleep. 😂

I think the most important thing when you have autistic children is have them be part of a LOT of like help groups, therapies, all that good stuff, so they can learn to see the world, the outside, because when you're autistic you're kinda stuck inside your own damn mind and that sh*t is very sensitive. I definitely didn't get enough of this as a child (I'm 17 years old as I'm writing this, and ofc, autistic, +ADHD, I hate my autism btw) As you become more open, you no longer need routines and all that.

When does your oldest play the drum kit? Does he like it and does it help him?

I am autistic and am diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome so this was very informative

I have to have it mostly dark,just enough light to see because of my night blindness and completely quiet other then the fan

i just woke up and went downstairs. i get on the computer and only have 2 notifacations :(. at least i have SOMETHING to watch.

I don't need my devices taken away. When I have big feelings I just play Roblox Basketball Simulator and then within 5-10 minutes (sometimes 15) I feel just about ready to fall asleep.

I sleep with four blankets and for Christmas I got a Sherpa blanket hoodie it’s weighted because it’s very large on me me it keeps me warm and doesn’t require a lot of blankets anymore still one or two but better then four.

i have autism, and my favorite dog breed is german shepherds, and i sleep with my german shepherd stuffed animals every night, and i also hug them to seek sensory input 😄

Hi thank you so much for your beautiful videos I just find you guys. I would like to ask you how old was your son’s when starting talking please ❤

When you started talking about plushies you remembered me I had to find Stamps

clopen was really cute

Where do you get the hot water bottles from? I’ve had a few and most of them leak/have bad texture. Those look super cozy lol

That’s a great video how old Connor now do the kids like watching these videos too

Can you please do a morning one love you guys

I like your videos . my son has autism and non verbal. he is 7 years old now. what age did your son start talking?

happy new year

I also have autism and a weighted blanket

My youngest - never tell him he has time to go - he wants to go there and then ( no time concept) - I have bought him a magnatized calendar to try and help. New clothes - big no no. I have to buy shoes the same design in each size. White noise yes - ceiling fan always on ( me also ). In all honesty - I am the same. I suffer with anxiety and panic attacks - - also when im out of routine - - I dont sleep - I nap all the time unless I am doing house work or actual work. My dad - his grandad - same - his brother - the same. I say it is hereditary.

At age 65, I am an Autidtic "Night Owl". My bedtime routine does not change. Watch Science documentaries until midnight,brush teeth. Change my diaper. Get into bed.Put my padded medical restraint mittens on. Go to sleep.

It is caring much for the kids that will not let them grow apart and is what you're onto, so lovely for the kids. I usually of times walk, run, play and sort on toes but am not an autistic believe me if am i why will I lie, am not, believe my say please please please🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺, friends. It can be of neurons malfunctions, yes, it can be.

6:08 peep the picture of Ian & Connor on Ian’s wall 🥹🥹🥹🥹❤️❤️❤️❤️