Sleep problems in children with learning disabilities. Can a group delivered sleep management intervention help?

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Lack of sleep for parents has been associated with depression, stress and anxiety and sleep problems for parents of children with learning disabilities are common.

Here, Rachel Allen looks at an evaluation of the effectiveness of a sleep management intervention that was delivered through support to groups of parents.

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Are changes in routine health behaviours the missing link between bereavement and poor physical and mental health?

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Olivia Maynard summarises a systematic review of changes in routine health behaviours following later life bereavement, which finds strong support for changes in nutrition, sleep quality and weight status after bereavement.

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Estimated prevalence of sleep problems in adults with learning disabilities varies widely says systematic review

Sleep

Life expectancy in people with learning disabilities has increased over recent years, and sleep problems become more common in people who are advancing in years. Sleep problems are also generally more common in people with learning disabilities than those without. The authors of this systematic review were interested to look at the way in which [read the full story…]

Review recommends assessing sleep problems in early intervention programmes for children with developmental delays

Sleep

The authors of this U.S. review set out to look at the evidence of the impact of sleep problems across the range of children screened for early intervention. Sleep disorders can have an impact on behaviour, cognition, and growth—which are the same areas that can be targeted by early intervention. They point out that developmental [read the full story…]

Actigraphy offers insight into sleep problems of older people with learning disabilities

Sleep

Sleep problems in young people with learning disabilities have been explored in a number of studies, particularly in relation to the impact on families and supporters, but there is relatively little in the literature about the impact of sleep problems on older people with learning disabilities. The researchers in this Dutch study wanted to look [read the full story…]

Study finds children with Down syndrome at risk for developing symptoms of sleep disordered breathing

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The authors of this study set out to investigate sleep patterns in children with Down syndrome by asking parents to complete a questionnaire on sleep habits. Typical sleep problems included sleep maintenance problems, snoring, and disordered breathing. The authors administered a 33 item questionnaire on children’s sleep habits to the parents of 35 children with [read the full story…]

Melatonin administration in autism spectrum disorder improved sleep parameters, daytime behaviour and had minimal side effects

Sleep

The researchers in this review looked at findings related to melatonin in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), including autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorders, not otherwise specified. From a search of databases, they were able to find 35 studies that met review’s inclusion criteria. It was possible to perform a meta-analysis on [read the full story…]

Training support staff improves sleep efficiency in people with learning disabilities

Sleep

Sleep problems are commonly found in people with learning disabilities who live in residential settings, but the authors of this study were concerned that insufficient attention was being is paid to them in the literature and consequently in practice. They set out to improve the knowledge and understanding of sleep quality and sleep problems among [read the full story…]

Review finds melatonin to be safest choice for children with sleep disturbance

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This review of the literature searched Medline and PsychInfo to find clinical trials and case reports which were published between 1975 and 2009, focusing on pharmacological interventions for sleep disturbance in children with developmental disabilities. The authors found 58 articles that met the inclusion criteria, including 25 controlled trials in typical children and children with [read the full story…]