Repetitive Behaviour in your Child

How will be differentiate between repetitive behaviour associated with autism from that of restlessness or ADHD? My 4 year old is very restless and keeps moving forward and backward for long period of time despiting constant warnings to stop. I am slightly worried!

My sister's 3 year-old is autistic. Lately he has developed this habit of repeatedly fondling with his private parts. We are a little concerned. My sister has not shared it with anyone else, yet!

A majority of children with autism also have sleep problems, which adds to the challenges that parents of such children face. Their sleep problems include difficulty falling and staying asleep. These problems compound other difficulties that children with autism face, such as repetitive behaviours and poor social skills. Children with autism who have sleep difficulties may also display more hyperactive behaviours and may get easily distracted than those who sleep well.
How can children with autism who have compromised sleep be helped? Parents can help by establishing sleep routine for their child. A sleep routine is a series of steps, each of which has to be completed before proceeding to the next. In children with autism, visual schedules can be employed to teach bedtime routine. A visual schedule is a set of pictures or photographs that shows what an activity entails. This can be made and put up in the bedroom, at a height that will enable the child to view each item. The parent can begin by choosing one cue to let the child know that it is time to use his schedule and use this cue consistently. For example: time for bedwhats next? Initially the child will require prompting to use the schedule. The parent could stand behind the child and physically guide him to the schedule. The child should be able to manipulate the schedule independently, such as checking the items off the checklist or moving pictures on the schedule.
Sample checklist:
Change into nightclothes
Use the bathroom
Brush teeth
Read a book
Get in bed
Go to sleep

While children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) like following set routines, sometime a change in routine or unexpected event is inevitable. Here are 4 ways in which parents or carers of children with ASD can prepare them to handle changes in a better manner:
Find out about and describe the change. Try to find out as many details about the change or new event, and describe it to the child using simple, clear language. For example, for a class trip to the zoo, the child can be told about the date of visit to the zoo, the mode of transport, the names of animals and birds theyll be seeing, the teachers who would be accompanying them, and the snacks they would be eating.
Use visual supports. Using pictures of the things or people involved in the change would also help the child understand what to expect. For example, for going on a holiday, the parent could show the child pictures of an airport, an aeroplane, the inside of an aeroplane, seat belts, as well as the destination- including the home stay or hotel, pictures of the major tourist spots, etc. A visual time table can also be made and explained to the child.
Planned visits. Try to make the child familiar with the new place, such as a new school, by making as many visits to it before they start. You can enlist the help of new teachers in making this transition by taking photos of the teachers, and new staff, and giving them to the child. Create an anxiety plan that they can remember to use- this might include having colour pens that they can use to draw what theyre feeling, or doing relaxation exercises.
Using supports such as timer and calendar. Using a sand or manual timer can help children with ASD cope with school break times, when there is typically high levels of noise and chaos. Using a calendar with the event date marked in red could be used to help the child count down to that day.
All these methods could help the child with ASD become prepared to handle the change involved.