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Parental report of sleep problems in Down syndrome

J H Breslin1, J O Edgin, R R Bootzin

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA. jbreslin@email.arizona.edu

Journal of Intellectual Disability Research : JIDR
|July 6, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Children with Down syndrome (DS) experience significant sleep disturbances, including issues with sleep maintenance and disordered breathing. These findings highlight the need for targeted sleep assessments in this population.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Genetics and Developmental Disorders

Background:

  • Children with Down syndrome (DS) frequently experience sleep problems.
  • Symptoms include sleep maintenance difficulties, snoring, and disordered breathing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate sleep patterns in children with Down syndrome.
  • To assess the prevalence and types of sleep disturbances.

Main Methods:

  • Parents of 35 children with DS (ages 7-18) completed the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire.
  • The questionnaire assessed various aspects of child sleep behavior.

Main Results:

  • 85% of children with DS had sleep disturbance scores in the clinical range.
  • Elevated scores were noted for bedtime resistance, sleep anxiety, night wakings, parasomnias, sleep-disordered breathing, and daytime sleepiness.

Conclusions:

  • Children with Down syndrome are at high risk for sleep-disordered breathing symptoms.
  • Additional sleep problems unrelated to sleep-disordered breathing are also common in this population.
Abstract

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