My son is almost 16 and he has never been a sleeper! When he was born, the nurses brought him back from the nursery and said he was crying and keeping all the other babies awake. We struggled with this for years. This intensified our problems because he was always tired and cranky. At first, I didn't want my child to take medication either. But as we have progressed through the years, medication has been our saving grace. I will say my son is a more complex case and currently takes several medications. We take Clonidine for a sleep aid. He takes it about 30-45 minutes before bed. For anxiety he takes Klonopin. Hopes this helps.

What has helped my son sleep (he is 13) is having a radio playing. Listening to the music seems to help him "turn off" his mind and distracts him enough that sleep comes. We struggled with finding a radio station that played acceptable music and ended up with an oldies station. Perhaps a CD player would work too if you just let it play until the disc was done. Just another option to consider.

My son has been taking clonidine for many years. He it is a wonder!!! It helps him fall asleep and stay asleep. He takes the biggest dose at bedtime and only a small dose in the am...it doesn't seem to cause any ill effects

My son doctor told me about melatonin. Its already in your body.i have benn giving my son this for six years now . he eight now. no problems . he can't sleep with out it. i get it at walmart.

My 6 year old son just got diagnosed with PDD-NOS, and general anxiety disorder in January. I couldn't take him to any stores, or restaurants because his anxiety would kick in and he would think that he was going to get locked in the store or where ever we were at the time. He would scream and cry hysterically until we left the building. (He was okay at our house and at school) He is currently on 25 mg zoloft and goes to a therapist. He is doing 90% better! He still has a little anxiety, but he doesn't scream. He talks calmly and works of some coping strategies he has learned in therapy. His personality has not changed on this medication. I too was apprehensive about medicating him, but it has done wonders. It is worth a try, you can always take him off the medication.