Posted on October 23, 2021
Sleep Issues among children with Neurodevelopmental disorders
Sleep disturbances are very common in infancy, childhood and pre-adolescence. It is estimated that 5% to 40% children can have sleep issues and it is very high when a child has some forms of Neurodevelopmental disorders such as cerebral palsy or autism.
Sleep disturbances can impact on the health and development of children with developmental disorders many ways. It can impact on learning, memory, attention span, behavior, mood regulations, immunity and metabolic function. It not only affects the child but also the care givers / parents by impairing mental health and may cause parental depression which impairs the quality of life of the whole family.
Sleep disturbances can be due to sleep habit, behavior, and sleep arrangement, parenting styles, sleep awake cycle and brain development. Very common sleep issues due to behaviors are bedtime resistance, night time waking, early morning awakenings, etc.
Although, the sleep duration varies child to child but there is a general sleep pattern.
Common sleep duration according to age (Adapted from Waters, Suresh and Nixon, 2013)
| Age | Sleeping Requirements |
| Newborn infants | 16-18 hours per day in cycles of 3-4 hours |
| 6 months+ | Able to sleep 6+ hours at night without a feed |
| 18 months+ | Overnight sleep+ 1 daytime nap |
| School age | Sleep through the night (11-12 hours) |
| Pre-puberty | Sleep duration decreases to around 10 hours |
| 16 years+ | 8 hours per day |
Sleep issues require holistic assessments so that treatment can be started. Lot of assessment scales are available. To name a few: “the children’s sleep habits questionnaire” ‘Epworth sleepiness scale”, “BEARS questionnaire” etc.
Children with all Neurodevelopmental disorders can have sleep issues but it is high with children with Autism and Cerebral Palsy.
Sleep issues in cerebral palsy have been categorized into seven headings
- Breathing disturbances
- Movement impairments
- Sleep-wake Cycles
- Epilepsy
- Sleep pattern impairments
- Psychological factors
- Pain and discomfort
Sleep problems with autistic children can due to
- Anxiety
- Bedwetting
- Biological causes
- Illnesses and health conditions
- Night terrors and nightmares
- Restless sleep
- Snoring
- Social communication difficulties.
Various studies investigated sleep disturbances to get optimal sleep management but no concrete method is specifically designed. Following methods are used in combination to manage sleep related issues
- Postural management in relation to bed
- Massage or sensory integration therapy
- Cranial Osteopathy / Cranio-sacral therapy
- Use of Medicines like Melatonin
- Anti-spastic medicines like Baclofen
- Adeno-tonsillectomy-Removal of the tonsils in case obstructive sleep apnea
If you have a child with sleep related issues, please contact us
Mail ID: helpicd@gmail.com
Voice Call: +91-11-41012124
Whatsapp: +91-7838809241
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