Why So Many Neurodivergent Children Struggle With Sleep — And What the Evidence Tells Us
If you’re a parent of an autistic or ADHD child, you may already know the nightly battle: bedtime stretches late into the night, mornings feel impossible, and school attendance becomes a constant source of stress. What’s important to understand is that this isn’t just “bad sleep habits” UK research shows that disrupted or nocturnal circadian rhythms are part of the biology of neurodivergence.
What the Studies Say
- Lancet Child & Adolescent Health (2025): Found strong links between autism, ADHD and circadian rhythm disturbances, including delayed melatonin release.
- Cambridge University (BJPsych Advances, 2020): Reported that children and adults with ASD and ADHD are far more likely to experience circadian rhythm sleep–wake disorders and insomnia.
- UK Biobank Study (Autism Journal, 2024): Analysed over 85,000 participants and confirmed genetic links between circadian rhythm differences and autism/ADHD. ADHD was associated with more nocturnal sleep episodes, while autism showed unique protective sleep patterns.
Why It Matters for Families
- Attendance: Children with delayed sleep cycles often struggle to meet early school start times. This can unfairly impact attendance records and lead to unnecessary conflict with schools.
- Cognition: Sleep disruption affects concentration, memory, and executive functioning. What looks like “inattention” in class may actually be the result of circadian misalignment.
- Advocacy: Recognising nocturnal rhythms as biological differences strengthens the case for flexible timetables, reasonable adjustments, and lawful attendance coding.
Resources to Help You Evidence Need
We know how exhausting it can be to explain the same story over and over. That’s why our Resource Hub includes practical tools to support you:
- Attendance & risk assessment templates for documenting sleep-related barriers
- Communication scripts for schools and local authorities
- Evidence logs to track sleep disruption and its impact on learning
- SEND law guidance on attendance, timetables, and reasonable adjustments
Link the above to our SEN Support Tracker, then your parental advocacy jumps to the next level! The App allows you to upload your evidence – potentially sleep diary or one of our resource parental assessments so that you can allocate it to your child and email directly to school. This provides you with additional templates from our resource hub and generates a communication timeline for advocacy and evidence. You can also log attendance and reasons for absence plus document if authorised and communication within. Give it a try today! www.sensupporttrackerapp.org
Your child’s nocturnal rhythms are not a failure of parenting they are part of their neurodivergent biology, recognised by UK research. By combining published evidence with practical tools, families can protect attendance records, advocate for lawful support, and ensure schools understand the reality of neurodivergent sleep.
Join over 23k parents fighting the same battle here: Need fast answers and resources for your SEND situation? Check out www.thesendbible.org for streamlined resources to support your every need!
All Things EHCP
- LETTER: LA Failure To Notify If Issuing the plan
- RESOURCE: Moving Local Authorities
- LETTER: Mediation Agreement – LA agreed to issue/amend EHCP but hasn’t provided draft within 5 weeks
- LETTER: Refusal To Assess Won and LA Not Notified of EP Assessment Within 2 wk Timeframe
- LETTER: To LA – After Tribunal – Refusal to Issue. No Draft plan within 5 week timeframe.
Attendance, Exclusions & Sanctions
Complaints
- LETTER – Enforcing Interim Education S43 with LA + Escalation Letter + Tribunal Request
- LETTER: To School When Whole School Approach To Adjustments Is Not Applied Consistently (IEP or EHCP)
- RESOURCE: LGO Outcomes
- LETTER: Right to Choose Rejection 3 Step Complaints Letters
- RESOURCE: Core Deficit Supporting Tool
