T V Addiction?

My son turned six in April and has never (mostly since he got out of his crib) really slept that well- bad dreams, wakes often at night and got in to the habit of coming in to our bed (my husband and I) in the middle of the night. Now, after alot of change in the last couple of years and since moving last summer in to a larger house, he goes downstairs in the middle of the night and watches TV. Could be anywhere from 2 or 3 Am on and could stay awake until I get up around 6. (Often times, I will wake up during the night as well and then I'll bring him back to bed)Its hard not to be angry and I tell him that. I have tried to limit TV because he gets that VERY faraway look when he watches TV that scares me. We have put a gate at the top of the stairs- which my son simply moves. Sometimes my husband remembers to unplug the TV before coming to bed- in this instance our son just sleeps in another bed.  Sometimes he says he is breaking the rule because of bad dreams, other times he says its because he just wants to.  The TV thing has gotten to be an issue since we have attempted to get him to sleep out of our bed and in to his--out of shear exhaustion on my part.  I have tried to explain how he can control his dreams, have happy thoughts, put funny faces on the scary ones etc.  I have also explained that dreams are OK, and how he can relax and just go back to sleep.  The fact that he has no regard for our boundaries around TV bothers me.  Also, I have given him a "chart" for earning some TV time.  Smiley faces for working hard on keeping his fingers out of his mouth and for staying in his bed.  Too much at once?  The look on his face when he watches TV tells me he's gone somewhere else...He's not "on earth" by any stretch--my impulse...sell the TV. Perhaps too drastic according to my husband. Is this behavioral, emotional, addiction, all three?  How do I help him?  PS...adopted age1 Russia, some behavior issues w/ Kids at school--improving.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

You would do well to rid your house of the television entirely for a while, rather than continue to try to figure out ways to work around it. It is unusual for a child this age to be waking up in the middle of the night and getting up like he does. The goal should be for him to fall asleep on his own in his own bed and to remain there for the duration of the night. It would make sense to confer with his pediatrician about this sleep pattern. Two things might be necessary, in addition to your limit setting. He may require, for a brief period, a small amount of medication to help him fall asleep and remain asleep. Clonidine, in a very modest amount, is helpful for this. If the pattern does not change with the addition of the small amount of medication, ask the pediatrician for a referral to a pediatric sleep disorder specialist.