Episode 87: Neurodivergent Children: Sleep, Sensory Needs, and the Right Support with Lauren Sloan

No One Told Us

Rachael Shepard-Ohta

Society & Culture, Kids & Family, Parenting

4.9 • 590 Ratings

🗓️ 1 May 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Episode 87: Neurodivergent Children: Sleep, Sensory Needs, and the Right Support with Lauren Sloan What does it mean to support neurodivergent children in a world that doesn’t always understand their unique needs? This week on No One Told Us, Rachael is joined by registered nurse and sleep specialist (not to mention mom of 3!) Lauren Sloan to talk about her experiences parenting three neurodivergent boys—and why typical advice about sleep, routines, and behavior often falls short. We’re digging deep into the realities of raising neurodivergent kids—how sensory processing impacts sleep, why traditional sleep training can be risky, and why parents need flexibility, compassion, and the right resources to truly support their children. Lauren brings her professional expertise and personal stories to topics like bedtime routines, feeding challenges, sleep struggles, and the power of understanding your child’s sensory world. Inside this episode… Lauren’s personal journey raising three neurodivergent boys Why sensory processing is crucial for understanding sleep challenges in all children How “stimming” is a natural, important way kids regulate themselves Why one-size-fits-all sleep training methods can backfire for ND and Autistic children How sensory needs impact bedtime routines and feeding transitions Sensory techniques and tools that can help calm kids down at bedtime The potential risks of things like reward charts and rigid routines for neurodivergent children How parents can self-refer and seek the right support early on The emotional toll of parenting when systems don’t fit your child—and how to find validation and help Plus so much more! Mentioned in this episode: Lauren’s Instagram: @spiritedbabysleep Substack: Spirited Baby Sleep – spiritedbabysleep.substack.com Where to Start: Finding Support: https://spiritedbabysleep.myflodesk.com/aogt5sf52c My Baby Hates the Car Seat: https://spiritedbabysleep.myflodesk.com/r6t6g0ndw6 Early Neurodiversity Course: https://spiritedbabysleep.thrivecart.com/early-neurodiversity/ Lauren’s Recommended Resources: Parents as Teachers Lesson Pix Twinkl Learning Corner Books: The out of sync child has fun The Pocket Guide to Neurodiversity Sincerely Your Autistic Child NeuroTribes If you enjoyed this episode, please rate 5⭐️ and write us a review! ⬇️ ✨For sleep support and resources, visit heysleepybaby.com and follow @heysleepybaby on Instagram! 😴☁️🤎✨ Rachael is a mom of 3, founder of Hey, Sleepy Baby, and the host of this podcast. Instagram | Tiktok | Website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to No One Told Us, the podcast that tells the truth about parenting and talks about all the stuff you wish you knew before having kids.
0:09.9	I'm your host, Rachel Shepard Otaugh, and today I'm so excited to speak with Lauren Sloan.
0:14.8	Lauren is a registered nurse, certified baby-led sleep and well-being specialist and the founder of spirited baby sleep and wellness.
0:21.8	She's also, most importantly, a mom to three neurodivergent boys, and her work is shaped by both
0:28.3	her professional background and her personal journey through the world of sensory needs,
0:32.5	sleep challenges, and developmental differences.
0:35.0	Today we're going to speak with Lauren all about neurodivergence,
0:39.1	autism, sleep, and her experiences in mom. I'm so excited. This is a topic that I am so,
0:44.2	so passionate about, and I'm really excited to dive in. So thank you so much, Lauren, for being here.
0:49.1	Yes, thank you for having me. I'm so excited to get to talk to you about all of this and dive into it.
0:55.2	Me too. Okay,
0:59.1	so just for context for our listeners who might not already know you or follow you,
1:07.3	how old are your kids? We have 17, 14, and 3.5. Amazing. Okay, so quite an age gap in there. So you've kind of like gone through it all once and then not started over,
1:12.0	but like had a big break in there, huh? Yeah. Yeah. It's been interesting to see because 17 years
1:18.2	ago a lot of things were very different. So we have gotten to see sort of the progression in
1:24.2	how sort of neurodivergence has been looked at and just the things that we've
1:29.8	learned over time and things that maybe weren't so great to do. And we know a lot more now.
1:34.5	So yeah. Yes. It's like two different worlds. That was kind of what I was going to think about.
1:38.2	Because even when I was teaching special ed, or I guess not so much when I was teaching, that
1:42.2	wasn't so long ago, but when I was like in
1:44.5	undergrad, things that we learned and things that were common practice are, you know, a lot of
1:50.2	that has shifted now. And that was only a little over a decade ago. So yeah, it's interesting.
	...

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