Netflix has messed with my kid's nightly routine

[ArielRae]

Was ready to put DS3 Autistic to bed tonight like usual getting Netflix up and running to put on his favorite Good Night Pajaminals show on. He knows that when the goodnight la la bye song plays at the end of an episode it is time for lights out and time to sleep. Well pull up Netflix and his Pajanimals show is GONE!

Now I know it isn't cause it wasn't watched enough that was our nightly routine. Luckly I had recently found some episodes on YouTube and saved it to my favorites page and DS was content enough with that but was really confused.

I am also glad I recently purchased the DVD. Didn't really need it previouly cause it was on netflix but cause of our up coming Disney trip and wanted to keep that nightly routine while in Disney to i ordered it. I should have it in 3 days. So hopefully DS will be ok with YouTube Pajanimals until then.

 

[Schmeck]

Was ready to put DS3 Autistic to bed tonight like usual getting Netflix up and running to put on his favorite Good Night Pajaminals show on. He knows that when the goodnight la la bye song plays at the end of an episode it is time for lights out and time to sleep. Well pull up Netflix and his Pajanimals show is GONE!

Now I know it isn't cause it wasn't watched enough that was our nightly routine. Luckly I had recently found some episodes on YouTube and saved it to my favorites page and DS was content enough with that but was really confused.

I am also glad I recently purchased the DVD. Didn't really need it previouly cause it was on netflix but cause of our up coming Disney trip and wanted to keep that nightly routine while in Disney to i ordered it. I should have it in 3 days. So hopefully DS will be ok with YouTube Pajanimals until then.

This is why I was always careful to not have an elaborate 'nightly routine' for my kids. Brush teeth, pajamas, story in bed (sometimes a book, sometimes made up, or maybe we just talked, but enough time in the bed to make the point that it was bedtime, KWIM?) and that was it.

My older daughter was never placed on the spectrum, but I work with students with autism, and she could have been diagnosed HFA in kindergarten. I was careful to limit obsessions, rituals, and nonflexible routines. I mean, if the child is used to electronic stimuli for self-calming, you either have to invest in a generator, or buy a few superpaks of batteries. Hurricane Sandy, blizzards, etc, can take the power out for days or weeks. And if you ever had to evacuate...

Anyways, I'd be looking for a non-electronic addition to the bedtime plan, and adding a few other things too, so that you can get him to be a bit more flexible as he gets older.

 

[star72232]

Netflix shows come and go, as the licenses are agreed to and renewed.

I also prefer a very flexible routine. Brush teeth, story, song, sleep. Very portable!

 

[DLgal]

That is frustrating, but a good lesson for your son,

I understand the bedtime routines, trust me. However, it s in everyone's best interest to simplify the routine enough so that it can be done anywhere, and by anyone. You may find yourselves in a situation where you can't have access to electronics, or a friend or family member has to put your child to bed without you. It happens to all of us eventually.

The good thing about autistic kids is that once you do something 3 times in a row, you've established a new routine. Definitely use this opportunity to simplify! I used a VERY common and well known song as the routine constant. I finally phased that out about a year ago. Now, bedtime is so much easier. Brush teeth, bath, say goodnights, tuck in, turn on nightlight, close door.

 

[Kebby]

Sorry, but these replies really rub me the wrong way. Clearly none of you have a difficult autistic. " this s a good lesson for your son" seriously? Autistic kids live and breath routine. This is not like some neurotypical chid where you can try and make a lesson out of it. The ignorance in this thread is astounding.

To the op. I feel your pain. Hugs, and I hope your little guy continues to accept the youtube vids until the DVD gets there!

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

sorry, but these replies really rub me the wrong way. Clearly none of you have a difficult autistic. " this s a good lesson for your son" seriously? Autistic kids live and breath routine. This is not like some neurotypical chid where you can try and make a lesson out of it. The ignorance in this thread is astounding.

To the op. I feel your pain. Hugs, and i hope your little guy continues to accept the youtube vids until the dvd gets there!

+1

 

[CuteAndFluffy]

Sorry, but these replies really rub me the wrong way. Clearly none of you have a difficult autistic. " this s a good lesson for your son" seriously? Autistic kids live and breath routine. This is not like some neurotypical chid where you can try and make a lesson out of it. The ignorance in this thread is astounding.

To the op. I feel your pain. Hugs, and I hope your little guy continues to accept the youtube vids until the DVD gets there!

Another +1

 

[marmalade]

Netflix messed with my nightly routine a while back too. I am a HUGE Roseanne fan and used to watch it every night when I went to bed. It has been a few years and I'm still not over them removing it from streaming.

 

[GotLabradors]

Sorry, but these replies really rub me the wrong way. Clearly none of you have a difficult autistic. " this s a good lesson for your son" seriously? Autistic kids live and breath routine. This is not like some neurotypical chid where you can try and make a lesson out of it. The ignorance in this thread is astounding.

To the op. I feel your pain. Hugs, and I hope your little guy continues to accept the youtube vids until the DVD gets there!

After teaching autistic kids for 10 years, I have come to the realization that they all react differently because no 2 autistic kids are alike. I have a great kid this year who thrives on routine. If there is going to be a change, he just needs to be made aware of it beforehand and he's good. I have had others where anything out of the ordinary sent them into full blown meltdown. And still others, that through trial and error, we're able to find a coping mechanism for them that keeps the meltdown to a minimum or away altogether. People's experiences with autism can be just as wide as the spectrum itself, so don't get too bent about suggestions. (You also have to remember that an autistic person's environment is not always going to bend around them, so getting through these little bumps in the road as a child can be good experience for everyone involved for when the child becomes an older teen/adult.)

 

[IntoTheLight]

Sorry, but these replies really rub me the wrong way. Clearly none of you have a difficult autistic. " this s a good lesson for your son" seriously? Autistic kids live and breath routine. This is not like some neurotypical chid where you can try and make a lesson out of it. The ignorance in this thread is astounding.

To the op. I feel your pain. Hugs, and I hope your little guy continues to accept the youtube vids until the DVD gets there!

OP- I totally get it.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

The good thing about autistic kids is that once you do something 3 times in a row, you've established a new routine.

I don't even know how to respond to this comment.

 

[GotLabradors]

The 3 day thing struck me as odd, too. I have heard of studies that suggest if you do something the same 28 days in a row, it becomes a habit, but 3 days?

 

[Kebby]

After teaching autistic kids for 10 years, I have come to the realization that they all react differently because no 2 autistic kids are alike. I have a great kid this year who thrives on routine. If there is going to be a change, he just needs to be made aware of it beforehand and he's good. I have had others where anything out of the ordinary sent them into full blown meltdown. And still others, that through trial and error, we're able to find a coping mechanism for them that keeps the meltdown to a minimum or away altogether. People's experiences with autism can be just as wide as the spectrum itself, so don't get too bent about suggestions. (You also have to remember that an autistic person's environment is not always going to bend around them, so getting through these little bumps in the road as a child can be good experience for everyone involved for when the child becomes an older teen/adult.)

absolutely- I agree with the idea that autistic kids need to learn to cope with change also. BUT I think the OP was looking for some sympathy or empathy to her situation- not comments about how this was a good lesson for her THREE yr old autistic child. ANyone who has worked with or lived with autism knows that there is a wide range of functioning- hell sometimes there is a wide range with our kids from day to day. But those that live with autism every day also realize that what was said above was ignorant- plain and simple.

 

[DLgal]

First of all, both of my sons (my only kids, btw) are autistic. My younger one is the epitome of "difficult", so I have some experience here. I'm not talking out of my rear here.

One of my sons loses his mind if I turn one street early on the way home, rather than going down the main way. But guess what? I do it randomly all the time because it's my job to show him that there isn't always only one way ("the right way" as he says) to do things. He starts to flip out and I remind him that it's no big deal, we will still end up at home, and he calms down.

My younger son HAS to take a shower before his brother. Has to. But, two weeks ago, I said they would switch off who goes first. He threw a fit the first few times he had to go second, and that was it. Now it's all good. The new routine has been established.

The "three times to a new routine" is pretty much how it works for many autistic kids. If you don't believe me, just try it. We have cinnamon rolls for breakfast every Saturday (going on 3 years now) simply because we did it two Saturdays in a row once, and that was that. We keep it up because it's become a fun family tradition, but we are very clear that this routine does not hold up when we are away from home. I have about 10 more stories like this to share. I just read a great book about autism anxiety and meltdowns and I chuckled when I read about this exact same phenomenon. I thought it was just my kids but obviously it's common.

Autistic kids need more credit than they are often given. And they need to be challenged with change from time to time.

Relying on electronics so heavily for a bedtime routine is not ideal, since as mentioned, the power could go out, the internet could go out, the cable could go out, the tablet or smartphone could break, etc. Often parents keep up elaborate routines in the mistaken belief that their kids just simply can't cope with an alternative. Or, they don't want to put in the effort required to deal with them when they revolt. Either way, no one wins in the end. And then something like this happens (Netflix removing a required program) and it's a crisis.