title: Sleep hygiene for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.
abstract: Sleep disturbances in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities are common and have a profound effect on the quality of life of the child, as well as the entire family. Although interventions for sleep problems in these children often involve a combination of behavioral and pharmacologic strategies, the first line of treatment is the promotion of improved sleep habits or "hygiene." Despite the importance of sleep-hygiene principles, defined as basic optimal environmental, scheduling, sleep-practice, and physiologic sleep-promoting factors, clinicians often lack appropriate knowledge and skills to implement them. In addition, sleep-hygiene practices may need to be modified and adapted for this population of children and are often more challenging to implement compared with their healthy counterparts. This first comprehensive, multidisciplinary review of sleep hygiene for children with disabilities presents the rationale for incorporating these measures in their treatment, outlines both general and specific sleep-promotion practices, and discusses problem-solving strategies for implementing them in a variety of clinical practice settings.
authors.affiliation: Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital, 4500 Oak St, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6H 3N1. jjan@cw.bc.ca
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Jan
authors.forename: Judith A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Owens
authors.forename: Margaret D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Kyle P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Michael B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Wasdell
authors.forename: Roger D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: Osman S
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Ipsiroglu
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002654:Child Care / Q000379:methods*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008603:Mental Health; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D011788:Quality of Life; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013315:Stress, Psychological