Nighlights, etc

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How old were your children when they stopped using nightlight? Also what about organization? Do they make their beds? Make sure that their desk is organized and closet as well? Do they eat in their room?

My 11 AS son prefers a light (the hallway, the bathroom, the closet) and the door to his room open. He can sleep without one as we have worked on that. He currently has a soft green lamp with these hairlike tubes that light goes through coming out the top. He loves it and it is more age appropriate than a traditional night light. My mom keeps a soft light in the hallway and bathroom as she gets up to use the bathroom often at night. My NT daughter likes it dark with her door closed. I am not sure that a night light is necessarily an AS thing. Is it important to you? I have a hard time understanding why this is an important issue?

As for organization, some people with AS are very organized with some things (sometimes to the point of OCD), while poorly organized with other things. Executive Functioning deficits/delay tend to be associated with AS and ADHD. For some its not a problem with organization, but rather with breaking down tasks into steps. For some the problem is getting started on a task. For some the problem is staying focussed and finishing a task. Organization of things is not a priority in my family. Personally (as an NT) I enjoy organizing things. However, you would likely see my desk as messy. I call it organized chaos. My husband organizes his time, but not his things (NT, but more AS traits than me). My 12 y.o. NT daughter does not like organizing, but can do it with only the typical pre-teen grumpiness. My 11 y.o. AS son will spend forever doing one task overly well and totally miss the point of the task or the rest of the task - He will spend time arranging his stuffed animals on his bed and sloppily make the bed, with corners folded under and covers upside down.

My children are not allowed to eat in their room so as to prevent bugs/dirty dishes collections etc. They do eat in the living room on TV trays often, but are expected (usually reminded) to clean up after themselves - throw away trash, take dishes to sink/rinse. My son is very good at this as once he learns to do something, he keeps doing it the same way. My NT daughter "forgets" seemingly purposefully although a little over a year ago, I rarely had to remind her.

Some people find the book "Smart but Scattered" helpful with teaching their children to organize.

My 7-year-old son with high functioning classic autism sleeps with the overhead light on. He has a night light, but he prefers the overhead.

He is very unorganized--he can clean up things/straighten up things if directed, but he won't think of it on his own. A visual schedule would probably help.

He does not make his bed, but I don't make mine, either.

His desk at school is a mess--stuff literally falls out onto the floor. His closet is a mess, too.

I think that he doesn't even notice his own disorganization. He is afraid of the dark.