Using melatonin

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I am using it successfully for my 7 year old with AS as well. His pediatrician okayed using it over a year ago, but I was nervous about trying it. It wasn't until my child's OT urged me to try it that I did so (after I'd reported to her again and again that he wasn't sleeping well at all). After years of not sleeping well, he is waking up rested almost every morning. We started at 1 mg and went up to 2mg when 1 didn't work. He's been taking it nightly for about five months now (and asks for it every night). I buy a sublingual 1mg strength (peppermint flavor, which he didn't like at first but loves now) and he takes two (he weighs 49 pounds). He hasn't experienced any side effects and it is now much easier to get him up in the morning (because he hasn't been up for hours in the middle of the night like he used to be). I'm so glad that I finally tried it.

I also have sleep problems and recently began taking 2.5 mg myself...it is helping me a lot as well.

Has anyone had problems waking up with hiccups? I started using melatonin with my 3 1/2 year old a little over a week ago. It seems to help and we just increased his dose to 1.5 mg. I have noticed when he does wake up, he has hiccups. Two nights ago he was up at 4 am with them and this morning he actually slept until 6 (10 hours of sleep!) and had the hiccups again. He doesn't seem bothered by them and they don't last for a long time, I was just curious if others noticed this. I can't find anything when searching on the internet.

It may be his age - I remember some fairly frequent, persistent hiccups around 4 years old. The old wives tales say it is a sign that they are growing. Most of those old wives tales about 'growing pains' have seemed to hold true around here. We haven't experienced any waking specific hiccups and we've been using melatonin or five years. If they are not painful and resolve on their own, hiccups are harmless.

I use melatonin myself, when I have to be on regular sleep cycles and wake up early and whatnot. It works pretty well.

Have you tried using the weighted blankets BEFORE he goes to school? It would help him be less overwhelmed from the sensory things while at school, or any other social place. Maybe a few other times during the day. Music, exercise, pushing against a wall, or even teaching him to hug himself if he gets overwhelmed in class could help. (E.g. ask the teacher if he can go to the bathroom ro whatever, so he can push down on his shoulders and calm down a little bit.)

The Sensory part is a huge piece of the restlessness, and anxiety. (At least from my own experiences.)

We do a lot of that stuff when he gets home, but I have a harder time getting the school to include any sensory diet because they don't see his sensory issues at school. He's still getting some help on fine motor skills there, but the teachers just don't quite get that his fine motor stuff may even improve with a sensory diet. He's doing so well at school right now, though, that I'm actually focusing more with them on social skills right now. His teacher does do a lot of music and dancing to break up the day, so maybe that helps him.

And when you suggest using the blanket before school, what do you mean? like using a lap pad? He sleeps with his weighted blanket, so maybe that helps some? I actually think I need to be brushing him before school. Because, he seems to hold it all together pretty well, but he's "noodly" all the time. That's what I call him when he's just sort of swinging his arms around, crashing into the couch and having trouble walking a straight line... all the proprioceptive stuff.