Children need a good night's sleep to learn and grow. Young people who don't get enough sleep can have a wide range of effects.
Quality of life can be affected by sleep. A poor night's sleep can affect not only the child's mental health, but also the mental health of the parents as well.
Most of the children on the spectrum have trouble sleeping. Early morning waking is one of the behavioral difficulties parents say they experience. If they aren't treated well, these problems will persist.
Sleep problems for children can be treated with behavioral interventions. When sleep strategies are tailored to children's needs, they can be effective in treating sleep problems.
The techniques can be used by all families.
Sleeping Sound caters to the sleep needs of young people. Sleeping Sound was originally created to help manage sleep problems in children with typical development.
The gold standard for determining the effectiveness of an intervention is a randomized controlled trial. Families were assigned to either the intervention group or the control group.
Two 50-minute face-to-face sessions were held for families in the intervention group. They got an assessment, sleep education, and personalized strategies for their family.
Families who received the Sleeping Sound intervention had less sleep problems than those who did not. Up to one year later, these benefits were still present.
Positive flow-on effects for children and their parents were seen, as well as improved mental health and quality of life.
Family support and consistency with strategies are important to the parents of a child with special needs. This is in line with the future direction of personalized health care for people on the spectrum.
While the program is still in its trial phase, it uses strategies that all parents can adopt to improve their child's sleep.
The universal approach to sleep readiness and behavioral sleep strategies can be used by parents to help their children sleep better. This is included.
Parents can try out different behavioral strategies if they want to help their child. These are included.
When a child needs a parent in the room to fall asleep, this strategy can be helpful.
When you put your child to bed, make sure to check on them. Visit your child at night to make sure they are okay. Slowly stretch out intervals.
The checks should be short and boring.
When children are not able to sleep at the desired time, this strategy can be helpful.
Temporarily adjust to when your child is sleepy. Gradually bring the time of sleep to 15 minutes every few days.
Children can benefit from these strategies when they are anxious at night.
Your child should be learing how to relax their muscles. Encourage your child to lie down with their eyes closed and then tighten and relax all the muscles in their body.
Your child should be taught how to breathe. Help them breathe through their nose and out through their mouth.
Put the things that worry your child in a box and encourage them to draw or write about them.
A combination of sleep strategies may be required for children. If you're concerned about your child's sleep, or if sleep problems persist, consult your doctor.
We are looking for people to help evaluate the Sleeping Sound intervention via telepresence. If you are a parent of a child with a learning disability who is experiencing sleep problems, please visit our website to learn more.
Nicole Rinehart, Professor, Child and Adolescent Psychology, Director, Krongold Clinic (Research), Monash University; Emily Pattison, Research Fellow, Psychologist, and Nicole Papadopoulos, Senior Lecturer, School of Educational Psychology & Counseling, Monash University.
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