A Mystery

In the past week, Dominic has woke up at 5:00 a.m. about four times.  He normally wakes up between 7-7:30 a.m. It would be great if he would go back to bed for an hour or two, but instead he goes downstairs to the family room.  He has been going to bed about the same time, so it's a bit of a mystery as to what is going on.  When he has woke up early in the past, it's usually because he is going through a growth spurt.  I'm not 100% sure that is the case now, since he has also been having some behavior issues at school.  A while back, he ran out of the cafeteria during lunch and one of the aides had to chase him down.  It wouldn't have been so bad, but he had a mouthful of food!  His teacher and I have been in close contact to see if there is any kind of pattern, since Dominic has been on the same dosage of Ritalin for a few years.  I sometimes think that his ADHD is the bigger issue than his Autism.  Since he does take medication, we see his psychiatrist every three months, so it's closely monitored. When Lauren doesn't sleep well, or gets up way earlier than normal, it's because she has something on her mind.  She and I are close and usually she will let me know what's bothering her and then she and I can discuss it.  With Dominic, it doesn't quite work that way.  We have to try and guess.  When I ask him how school went each day when he gets home, it's always the same answer, "good."  That doesn't really help me too much!  Thank goodness his teacher sends a written report home each day. He is pretty in tune to Dominic and notices if he seems "off." I'm hoping that we get to the bottom of what's going on soon. The only good thing I can think of about getting up so early is watching the amazing sunrise: