Should I tell my autistic daughter to go to bed

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Maybe she just ends up staying up so late that she's too tired to go to bed, so she just crashes out on the couch?

It may be that she has difficulty getting to sleep so is trying to stay up to get herself so tired that she will be able to settle easier, but then it ends up that she falls asleep on the sofa. This is what I do.

Also, she might be scared of something do do with sleep (such as night terrors) so avoids going to her bed because that is associated with sleep whereas the sofa is not.

But why?
How is sleeping on a couch less appropriate than sleeping on a bed? Just because most people sleep on a bed?
How does sleeping in a bed help with things that actually matter, such as food and hygiene?

I don't know how many people are in the household. Maybe family members want to walk through the living room late evening or early morning to go to the kitchen and don't want to disturb her sleep. Maybe they want to sit on the sofa and watch tv or play video games.

The mother may be concerned that when she gets tired, she will lay down where is nearby which is a problem if outside the family home.

I hope OP gives us some more information. It could be so many reasons mother is concerned.

Is she doing anything downstairs before she falls asleep that she cant do in her bedroom For example if she falls asleep while watching TV & there's no TV in her bedroom(or one that doesn't work as good) you could get her a good TV for her bedroom & maybe she'd fall asleep watching it in there/

I very often get fixated on the internet until my body just collapses onto the sofa because I'm too tired to go to bed properly.

I think a bed is better than the sofa because it defines each day and night.

I just am not at all good at bedtimes and sticking to times, I'm very nocturnal. It's usually when all the most interesting TV is on too.

Yes. It helps to have a regular sleep/wake cycle. It's just important that if they decide that Mom is going to remind her daughter to go to bed every day, her daughter understands that this is a useful service that Mom is performing--not some kind of nagging attempt to control her daughter's life.

I like sleeping on the couch because I feel a little sandwiched. Unless I have lots of pillows around me or a weighted blanket on me, I won't be able to fall asleep. If it's soft and comfortable and she sleeps, why not?

But a sleep routine is important. So maybe tell her to go to sleep and after a while, her body will get used to sleeping at that time. It's hard to say how well she'll sleep though. Insomnia is always a problem...

since you own the house, yes you can ask her to go to bed. I see this as you caring more for her gaining knowledge of what is appropriate than you trying to force her into going to bed. Just remind her that eventually she needs to go to bed in order to function but dont push it unless you dont want her on the couch.

i think you jsut want time to romp around with the hubby :p

Stopping what I'm doing and getting ready for bed has always been a task initiation issue for me. It takes my last burst of energy for the day to do it, so I had to learn early on to reserve that energy for getting ready for bed. Maybe this is what's going on with her.

Did the OP post that and then leave WP?

I bet the OP is appalled that none of us seem to know how important it is to go to bed properly, like normal people.

Firstly why am I OP ? Secondly I am aware that it is not a major issue ,I just want advice because I want to do right by my daughter and i want to know if I should be trying to help her in getting enough sleep

I have recieved many helpful answers and I will take the advice on board. And I am sorry if I haven't replied to everyone but to be honest I'm not really 100% sure on how to work this.

iop =old pecker

OP means Original Poster... it is the common abbreviation to refer to the person who started a thread, usually because the person responding has forgotten the username of said person. OP is widely understood.