My son is 9, has Aspergers (milder end of the spectrum) and ODD. He has always been an early riser, between 5am and 6am and occasionally 6.30, his bedtime was 8pm.
Last October a week before half term he started waking up at 3.30-4am and then spent the day grumpy and moaning because he was so tired. He refused a nap and after reading up on possible reasons the main advice was to put him to bed earlier. I had tried putting him to bed a bit later but it made no difference so for 5 nights he was in bed by 6pm and asleep really quickly and gradually started to wake later until he was back to his usual time.
This last week he has reverted back to waking up between 3.30 and 4.30 and I have tried putting him to bed earlier but it doesn't seem to be working this time. Now that he has gone back to school he is shattered and I worry about the affects the lack of sleep will have on him.
I don't believe it is anxiety based, he says he just wakes up and thats that, he doesn't lay there thinking about things. We have told him he needs to stay in bed until 5.30 in the hope that he goes back to sleep but he doesn't.
He has a good bedtime routine, I'm really strict with screen times, there are no screens after 4.30, there are no screens in his bedroom, he has blackout blinds and has a good diet with only one sugary treat a day.
I really don't know what else to try, it is starting to affect not just him but the whole family. This morning I was awake from 3.45 and then had to come and work a 12 hour shift.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.