Is It Resistance… or Just the Wrong Bedtime? How BCBAs Can Rethink “Problem” Behaviors at Night
As temperatures rise and daylight continues to stretch deep into the evening, many families find themselves battling what looks like a sudden uptick in bedtime resistance. But for BCBAs supporting autistic learners with sleep challenges, the critical question isn’t always how to reduce the behavior—it’s when the behavior is happening in the first place.
Too often, we focus on modifying bedtime behaviors without first asking the simplest question of all: Is this bedtime biologically aligned with the learner’s current sleep needs?
Sleep Resistance Isn’t Always Behavioral
When a child pushes back at bedtime—refusing to transition, crying, leaving their room, or becoming overstimulated—it’s tempting to view those behaviors as avoidance or attention-seeking. But in many cases, the problem isn’t willful resistance. It’s misalignment.
Sleep timing misalignment occurs when the learner’s internal clock (circadian rhythm) and sleep pressure (thanks to adenosine buildup across the day) aren’t synced with the scheduled bedtime. In plain terms: the body’s not ready for sleep, even if the clock says it's time.
If we program for a child to fall asleep too early—before sufficient sleep pressure has built up—we’re asking for a behavior plan to fix something physiological. And when behavior plans are implemented without biological readiness, we often see a sharp increase in behaviors… and a steep drop in caregiver confidence.
A Quick Refresher on Age-Appropriate Sleep Timing
BCBAs don’t need to become sleep scientists—but we do need to understand age-related trends when it comes to sleep pressure. Here’s a quick cheat sheet for typical bedtime readiness by age group:
Toddlers (1–2 years): Typically show sleep readiness 5 hours after morning wake-up for a nap and 4–5 hours after nap wake-up for bedtime.
Preschoolers (3–5 years): May need 6–6.5 hours of awake time before bed if they are still napping; 12-13 hours awake if naps have been dropped.
School-aged children: Often fall asleep best around 13-14 hours after their morning wake-up time, assuming no nap.
Teens and preteens: Naturally shift toward later sleep times due to puberty-related circadian changes—forcing an early bedtime here often results in prolonged bedtime resistance.
When we set a bedtime based on age, nap timing, and morning wake time—not just family preference or ideal schedules—we set everyone up for success.
What to Look For Before You Target the Behavior
Before writing a behavior plan for bedtime resistance, ask yourself:
What time is the learner waking in the morning?
How long have they been awake before the scheduled bedtime?
Is there a nap during the day—and if so, when and how long?
Are we seeing signs of overtiredness (meltdowns, hyperactivity) or undertiredness (restlessness, chatting, silliness)?
These questions aren’t a checklist for families alone, they’re critical for shaping interventions that actually work.
A Simple Shift with a Major Payoff
The next time a caregiver reports a bedtime battle, consider this: shifting bedtime by just 20–30 minutes—earlier or later—can result in significantly smoother transitions. When a child is biologically ready for sleep, there’s less fight, less friction, and a much higher likelihood of falling asleep without major intervention.
This is the kind of support that builds caregiver trust—and long-term success.
Want to Learn How to Build Better Sleep Plans?
Inside The Sleep Collective, we go far beyond surface-level behavior plans. We teach BCBAs how to assess environmental, physiological, and behavioral factors that impact sleep—and how to use evidence-based strategies that align with the realities of family life and child development.
If you’re ready to go from guesswork to grounded expertise, enrollment for our next cohort is open now.
Ready to become the sleep specialist families are searching for?
Explore The Sleep Collective →
Let’s build bedtime strategies that work with the body—not against it.
