I saw a this question posted recently on an Autism Support Group and I saw so many people saying yes. But the good news it doesn’t have to.
In reality, it’s not the moon itself which makes things worse, despite the many quotes from police, hospitals, and school teachers which say it’s the moon. (This is the long hard story of causation doesn’t equal correlation – but that’s for a different time.)
Rather, with a full moon, the night time is brighter, and that can make it harder for (especially young) people to sleep. Because it is harder to sleep, they won’t function as well the next day. Seeing how it’s actually brighter for several days before and after the actual full moon, this can make for a unpleasant week. This is why teachers especially seem to hate a full moon.
When you add autism into the mix it makes it that much worse. Why? Well many people on the spectrum do not sleep as well as a neurotypical due to reduced levels of melatonin. They also tend to dwell on events, which can make it harder for them to sleep.
This can make the effects twice as bad for people on the spectrum. Some people have been able to get melatonin supplements to work for them. It is recommended to start with a low dosage regardless of age and size of the child (or adult) and increase as needed. We’ve talked about the use of melatonin before, and Autism Speaks has a whole guide on using melatonin.
Additionally, you could look at blackout curtains if your child has a room which normally gets a lot of external light. This can also help if they get light from a street light like my kids used to. This might also help regulate their sleep better. I know I personally like it fairly dark and quiet when I sleep, so your child might need this too.
Recently, my youngest son’s curtains fell and won’t stay up anymore. We’ve noticed since then, it’s been much harder for him to fall asleep and stay asleep. As a result, his mood has changed for a few days while we work on replacing his curtains.
We’re looking for either blackout curtains for him, or blinds which are designed to block out more light than normal. As a preteen, we’re concerned for safety, so we’re looking for something without cords (which most are luckily now a days) and something which is durable, as we know our special kids can be unintentionally rough with their stuff.
Unfortunately, I can’t confirm that. The full moon doesn’t just have an effect on me when you see it in the sky, i.e. at night, and thanks to binaural beats I don’t sleep any worse during that time. But in the days around the full moon and most intensely on the full moon itself, I suffer from what I perceive as a sultriness in both emotions and perception, an intensification of all impressions, so that I then become overstimulated much more quickly or there is a basic overstimulation that completely paralyzes me. Since absolutely everything is additionally intensified, which I perceive much more intensely than neurotypical people anyway due to autism, this has a particularly strong effect in relation to unpleasant activities or experiences, so that I plan and organize my life accordingly.