Melatonin is not a miracle, and it is not something to feel guilty about considering. For some Autistic children it is a useful support for the biological process of falling asleep, with the evidence strongest for shortening how long sleep takes to begin.

But it cannot solve every reason a child is awake. The better question is not only “Should we try melatonin?” It is “What part of sleep are we asking melatonin to support, and what else might my child still need?”

Sleep difficulties affect between 50% and 80% of Autistic children and youth.

That range covers a lot of different nights: hours to fall asleep, frequent waking, 4:45 a.m. starts, irregular schedules, bedtime anxiety, and needing a caregiver nearby to fall or return to sleep. One explanation rarely covers everything. More often, several factors stack.

So instead of asking “How do we stop this bedtime behaviour?”, ask “What is making sleep hard for my child?” The second question has answers.