Medical research increasingly reveals the vital role healthy sleep plays in improving our cognitive, physical, and emotional health. When sleep is disrupted, humans have trouble with mood regulation, thinking and concentration. Sleep affects how our brain processes information, with a lack of sleep negatively impacting both short- and long-term memory.
We here at Imagine Pediatric Therapy understand that for children with special needs, getting that vital sleep can be difficult because of an underlying disability. Sleep disruptions can have significant short- and long-term impacts on the entire family. Doctors define a sleep disorder as a recurring disruption of normal sleep patterns. For some children, this disruption may result in too little sleep while other children might get too much. As with disabilities, there are a lot of different ways children experience a sleep disorder.
Data reveals that nearly 1 out of every 3 individuals with an intellectual disability reported multiple sleep problems, encompassing many different kinds of sleep disorders. Experts estimate that nearly 50% of ADHD patients struggle getting and staying asleep. Children with Down Syndrome are more likely to develop sleep apnea. Children with ASD struggle with longer sleep onset periods and more frequent awakenings, leading to what researchers call “low sleep efficiency.” While the kind of sleep disorder can vary based on the patient, the impact of disordered sleeping is more universal.
Disordered sleep might first present as an inability to get up in time for school, increased irritability, and struggles in the classroom. For neurodivergent kids, this means disordered sleep adds another layer of difficulty or noise to a process that they already find taxing, which increases stress and anxiety, which increases disordered sleeping. Disordered sleep produces a vicious cycle that not only inhibits a child’s development but also impacts the child’s family. Research shows an association between childhood sleep problems and parental depression and stress.
Unfortunately, we know a lot more about how large a problem disordered sleeping is in special needs children than we know about how to fix it. This lack of knowledge is in part a function of the range of disabilities that present with a range of sleeping disorders. And while know a lot about sleep based largely on studies of typical adult populations, what works for treating a 50-year-old insomniac might not make sense for an 8-year-old with ASD.
The first and best advice is to talk to your health care and therapy team.
Your child’s physician can help you identify any underlying medical causes, like sleep apnea, GERD or acid reflux, or allergies, or environmental conditions like light, noise or textures that might be disrupting your child’s sleep. Once we’ve got a sense of the variables disrupting your child’s sleep, we can develop a sleep hygiene plan for your child and your family.
For kids with ADHD, environmental changes that limit stimuli in the room along with adhering to consistent bedtime routines can help children get and stay asleep. A typical routine can include a warm, gentle bath, teeth brushing, a drink of water, a quiet, soothing bedtime story, and a goodnight hug. A white noise machine can be used to block stimuli and be used as a mental cue that it’s time to sleep. Other sleep disorders might require a combination of bedtime routines and child-appropriate and child-safe medications.
Make sure to plan for the entire family’s sleep as well as the child’s sleep. Research shows that children with sleep disorders have parents operating at a sleep deficit – making your patience shorter and your temper more likely to fray. Try alternating nights with your child, rather than taking turns for each disruption. That way, each parent gets a solid night’s sleep at least every other night. Protect and maximize your own sleep as much as you can so you have the resources to help your child adapt.
Do you have questions about helping your child fall asleep and stay asleep – or for healthy bedtime routines? Just ask Imagine Pediatric Therapy. We are always happy to help!
