Confessions of an autism mother: I slipped my daughter a mickey last night

November 12, 11:06 AMNY Schools ExaminerKathleen Byrne

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Isn't she lovely? Photo: K. Byrne

First, some backstory. The only thing I would change about my beautiful daughter Fiona is her sleeping habits. Like many children on the autism spectrum, her clock is wound differently. Fiona’s ideal sleep schedule would be to fall asleep at 9pm and wake at 3am, take a long nap during the day around noon, and fall asleep around 9pm to start the cycle over again. The little hand on her clock rotates every six hours instead of every twelve.

It is essential that Fiona get in a full day of therapy at school. We have a window between three and five years old when her brain is most malleable and learning is easiest. If Fiona wakes up at 3am and needs a long nap in the middle of the day, then she can’t fit in a full day of therapy. Obviously, as Obama’s mom said to him when forcing him to get up early to study his English lessons in Indonesia, “It’s no picnic for me either, buster!”

So, last night, I warmed a bottle of milk in the microwave, crushed a Benadryl between two spoons, and slipped the white powder with pink flecks into my daughter’s bottle. I didn’t use Children’s Benadryl. Oh no, that is not recommended for kids under six years old! And I always follow the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations.

I told myself that I would gradually wean Fiona off of the Benadryl at night, slipping her less and less than a full pill with every 3am bottle until just the taste of warm milk puts her back to sleep. The morning after, I almost believe the strategy will work.

At least Fiona will put in a full day of therapy today. Ironically, I’ll need a full day of therapy to get over the guilt.