Sleep
Nansa provides support, education, training and advice to people of all ages and disability levels. Referrals for the Nansa Sleep Service will be accepted from community paediatricians, or any other health professional involved with the family. They will also accept referrals directly from families.
This website provides information and resources to help people understand the importance of sleep, links between sleep difficulties and ADHD. It also suggests strategies to improve sleep hygiene.
Information and advice around sleep regarding children and teenagers.
The National Sleep Helpline
The National Sleep Helpline can offer support and advice. This is available Sunday to Thursday, from 7pm to 9pm. The helpline is run by a team of specialist trained sleep advisors. Although they cannot give medical advice, they can talk through your issues, offer you some practical strategies and recommend services that could help.
Call 03303 530 541
Eating
Eating problems are common for autistic people. They may have issues such as only eating very few foods, not being able to eat at school, going long periods of time without eating and pica (eating non-foods). These can feel difficult to understand and manage. This website explains what may be causing eating issues and provides practical strategies to help.
Dopamine is one of the brain chemicals that is different for people with ADHD. ADHD individuals can often seek out foods that increase dopamine. This website gives some ideas of healthy ways to increase dopamine within someone's diet, without relying on foods high in sugar or caffeine.
Personal Care
This website highlights difficulties that young people may have with their personal care, such as showering and maintaining hygiene. It offers suggestions as to why they may find this difficult and offers strategies to support with personal hygiene.
toothPASTE is a free online resource developed with parents and professionals to support the oral health of autistic children. It's also relevant to many children with additional needs.
The resource includes small, practical steps to help with:
- toothbrushing
- reducing sugary foods and drinks
- attending dental appointments
Exercise
We know exercising is good for us. It helps us stay healthy, feel better and have fun. But for kids with ADHD, exercising can also be a big help when it comes to managing their symptoms. This article highlights the benefits of exercise for children with ADHD and has some ideas of how to build good exercise habits.
Other activities and resources
ERIC provides information and support to children, young people and families for all childhood continence problems including bed wetting, soiling and constipation, daytime wetting and potty training.
