Sleep problems in children with disabilities can impact not just them but the whole family, as well as having various effects such as daytime sleepiness, impaired performance at school, irritability and behavioural problems due to sleep deprivation.<\/p>\n
Neurodevelopmental disorders and sleep studies<\/h2>\n
According to a study<\/a> by\u00a0researchers from the Cerebra Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, there is an increased risk of sleep problems in children with intellectual disabilities including those with neurodevelopmental disorders.<\/p>\n In this study they used parent questionnaires to identity how children with different neurodevelopment disorders (i.e. Smith-Magenis, Angelman, Autism, Tuberous sclerosis) compare with children without disorders in sleep problems.<\/p>\n \u2018We found that sleep problems occur more frequently and more consistently in certain neurodevelopmental disorder groups.\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In this study, 73% of children with Smith-Magenis syndrome experience severe sleep-waking. The percentage was also high for other neurodevelopmental issues. For example, 46% of children with Angelman and Autism Spectrum also experience severe sleep-waking.<\/p>\n While severe sleep issues don\u2019t affect all children with disabilities, the children in this study scored higher on many sleep disorders when compared to children without disabilities, including:<\/p>\n Sleep Science Coach, McKenzie Hyde, says:<\/p>\n Children with developmental disabilities such as autism [have a] reported 80% increased risk of experiencing sleep issues in the form of insomnia, frequently waking up in the middle of the night, and difficulty waking up in the morning.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n For those with physical disabilities, such as wheelchair users, it’s common to experience back pain and neck pain as a cause of sleep. This is just as true for children but can depend on the disability and the severity of the said disability.<\/p>\n However, physical therapy can really help. Nick Salinas, Doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of Functional Movement Therapy,<\/a> shared his thoughts:<\/p>\n \u2018Children with disabilities can have more pain, but not necessarily. Children’s bodies are naturally more resilient (compared to someone in the later stages of life) as they have more space within the joints, higher levels of cartilage, and more elasticity in the skin and soft tissues. Depending on the disability and severity of malalignment can dictate whether or not they have pain and how much progress can be made holistically to correct that.\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n McKenzie Hyde. Certified Sleep Science Coach at Amerisleep<\/a>, also spoke about physical disabilities and how they can affect sleep:<\/p>\n \u2018Physical disabilities that render children physically in pain and uncomfortable during bedtime opens more opportunities for the development of sleep issues like snoring, teeth grinding, intense tossing and turning, and even sleep apnea. Consequently, these sleep disorders further exacerbate their disabilities by diminishing sleep experiences, ultimately affecting their emotional responses, behaviour, learning, and overall daily waking life.\u2019<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Talking to your child to find out if there is something specific bothering or worrying them which is keeping them awake is an important step. A consistent routine however is key to helping your child fall asleep.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Often, behavioural approaches are the first port of call. They are used for treating children with disabilities but can require a specialist in order to observe the child over time to help identify causes of sleep disturbance. Possible approaches could be:<\/p>\n In more serious cases, children may benefit from treatment or sleep aids such as sleep hypnosis<\/a> or melatonin<\/a> tablets to help aid their sleep. A good place to start is by speaking to your GP. There are factors beyond your control that can affect your child\u2019s sleep for which advice from a medical professional is key. Perhaps seek counselling if your child is in pain, their condition continues to disrupt sleep, or if your child\u2019s medication seems to be having an adverse effect on their sleep.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We explore the connection between certain disabilities and the appearance of sleep problems in children.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":571,"featured_media":22350,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-children-parents","category-health-wellbeing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
![\"graphic](\"https:\/\/www.dreams.co.uk\/sleep-matters-club\/wp-content\/uploads\/julius-carmine-01Ji9GRErak-unsplash.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPhysical disabilities and sleep problems<\/h2>\n
Helping your disabled child sleep<\/h2>\n
Before bedtime:<\/h3>\n
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At bedtime:<\/h3>\n
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![\"image](\"https:\/\/www.dreams.co.uk\/sleep-matters-club\/wp-content\/uploads\/jeshoots-com-l0j0DHVWcIE-unsplash.jpg\")
<\/h2>\nWhat other treatments are available?<\/h2>\n
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