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Multifactorial Influences, Including Comorbidities, Contributing to Sleep Disturbance in Children with a
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. gregory.stores@psych.ox.ac.uk.
Insights
Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) often experience sleep disturbances. Further research is needed to understand the causes, types, and effective treatments for these sleep problems in NDD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Sleep Medicine
Background:
- Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) involve impairments in central nervous system (CNS) development.
- Sleep disturbances are frequently observed in children with NDD, but require further investigation.
- Understanding the complexities of sleep issues in NDD is crucial for effective management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the nature of sleep disturbances in children with NDD.
- To explore contributing factors including specific sleep disorders, comorbidities, and external influences.
- To discuss implications for assessment and treatment strategies.
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on sleep disorders in NDD.
- Analysis of factors contributing to sleep problems in this population.
- Discussion of diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.
Main Results:
- Sleep disturbances are common in NDD, with various types and causes.
- Intrinsic pathophysiological factors, comorbidities, and environmental influences play a role.
- The complexity necessitates precise diagnosis for appropriate treatment.
Conclusions:
- Effective treatment of sleep disturbances in NDD requires accurate diagnosis.
- Addressing sleep issues can mitigate negative developmental effects in children with NDD.
- Further research is essential to clarify etiology, assessment, and treatment of sleep disorders in NDD.
Abstract:
The term neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) implies an impairment of the growth and development of the CNS caused by genetic, metabolic, toxic, or traumatic factors. Childhood neuropsychiatric disorder is a subset of NDD. Sleep disturbance is reported in many children with NDD although the details of this association, including extent and types of sleep disturbance, etiology, and assessment and treatment issues, need to be clarified by further research. This review considers the nature of sleep disturbance in NDD. Emphasis is placed on sleep disorders (i.e., the specific conditions that cause sleep problems) of which many are now recognized in the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD-3), and also intrinsic pathophysiological factors, physical and psychiatric comorbidities, and pharmacological and parental influences, which might contribute to the sleep disorders in children with NDD. The implications of this complexity for assessment and treatment in such children are then discussed. Appropriate treatment based on precise diagnosis of the causes of sleep disturbance is required to mitigate the harmful developmental effects of disordered sleep on children with NDD and their families.
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