Remember how difficult your teenage years were as you navigated high school, acne, and your very first job? Well, these years can be even more challenging for children with special needs.
For children managing Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), for example, the teenage years can be extremely difficult, especially when transitioning into high school and meeting new classmates. With so many social challenges, children with ASD may experience heightened anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses.
You may experience increased challenges as well! Teenagers with Angelman Syndrome, Smith-Magenis Syndrome, and similar developmental disorders may become increasingly difficult to carry, bathe, and transport as they continue to grow.
Fortunately, a special needs bed can offer numerous benefits for your budding teenager that can alleviate many of the struggles that come with puberty and the high school years!
How A Special Needs Bed Can Benefit Your Teenager
Here are a few of the biggest benefits of giving your teenager a special needs bed:
1. A Special Needs Bed Can Offer Additional Safety
A special needs bed can keep your child safe in a few different ways.
Children and teens with special needs are more likely to have epilepsy. In fact, research shows the percentage of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder who experience epilepsy doubles during puberty, increasing from 13% to 26%.
A special needs bed covered in soft padding can help reduce the number of injuries in the event of an epileptic episode.
In addition, a fully enclosed special needs bed can keep your child contained all night long without inhumane restraints. A fully enclosed bed prevents night wandering, a dangerous activity that can lead to direct harm to your child, home, or the rest of your family.
2. A Special Needs Bed Can Help Your Child Relax
The teenage years are stressful for everyone, but they can be especially challenging for children with special needs.
For example, research shows teenagers with ASD who struggle to make social connections are three times as likely to experience higher levels of depression and anxiety. As an extension of that, these teenagers are also more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior and engage in self-harm, which can include pinching their skin, pulling their hair, or other dangerous behaviors.
Even worse, children and teenagers with Autism Spectrum Disorder are 28 times more likely to plan or attempt suicide than their peers without ASD.
With so many distracting thoughts and emotions, your child deserves a calm, soothing environment at the end of the day—and that’s exactly what a special needs bed provides.
Our special needs bed, The Safety Sleeper®, is sometimes even referred to as a “safe place” by the children who use them!
3. A Special Needs Bed Can Help Your Child Get Extra Sleep
The teenage years are marked by extensive physical growth for your child, and that growth requires plenty of rest.
Johns Hopkins Medicine recommends teenagers with special needs get about nine hours of sleep per night, but that’s not always easy to achieve.
While many children with special needs struggle to fall asleep at night (read our article on Autism and Sleep to learn more), a special needs bed can provide the security and comfort necessary to soothe your child to fall asleep faster.
In addition, families who use The Safety Sleeper® regularly report their children staying asleep longer, which has proven beneficial to both the child and the rest of their family members!
4. A Special Needs Bed Accommodates Medical Needs
Many special needs beds are designed to assist in medical interventions for your child. Some of the most common features you’ll find:
- Holes for medical access, like IV drips and oxygen tubing
- Side railings or walls to prevent rolling or climbing out of bed and falling onto the floor below
- Accommodations to allow for medical lifts
- Extra padding to prevent injury during seizures or tantrums
When selecting a special needs bed, keep your teenager’s specific medical requirements in mind.
5. Special Needs Beds Can Meet Specific Size Requirements
Special needs beds aren’t just for children! Our beds can accommodate teenagers of all heights with the following mattress sizes:
- Twin
- Twin XL
- Full
- Queen
And, of course, you’ll still have the same durability at every size!
Using The Safety Sleeper® For Your Teenager With Special Needs
The Safety Sleeper, a fully enclosed special needs bed, features a variety of features your teenager will love, including:
- A comfortable memory foam mattress that will help them fall asleep and stay asleep longer
- A fully enclosed design intended to prevent wandering and create a safe space in a world that can feel overwhelming
- Medical access to allow for your teenager to be lifted into bed or to deliver IV fluids and medications
With all of these features combined, The Safety Sleeper® can help your teenager with special needs achieve sustained, restorative sleep!
Purchase The Safety Sleeper® For Your Teenager
You can purchase The Safety Sleeper® for your child today! Look through the different models of The Safety Sleeper®, or explore how you can use insurance coverage to purchase yours.
