Sleep hygiene education and children with developmental disabilities: Findings from a co-design study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Sleep Medicine
• Developmental Disabilities Research
• Health Intervention Design

Background:

• Sleep problems are prevalent in children with developmental disabilities.
• Current sleep hygiene education (SHE) interventions may not adequately address the complexities for this population.
• A deeper understanding of stakeholder perceptions is needed to optimize SHE.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a programme theory for sleep hygiene education (SHE) interventions for children with developmental disabilities.
• To identify key complexities and factors influencing the success of SHE implementation.
• To inform policy and practice for improving pediatric sleep in this group.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study utilizing co-design workshops with parents and sleep practitioners.
• Themes were developed from prior exploratory research on stakeholder perceptions of SHE.
• A SHE tool was created, supported by programme theory and theories of change.

Main Results:

• Programme theory highlights complexities in SHE implementation, including legitimizing sleep problems, customization, knowledge sharing, and managing expectations.
• Factors such as health service rationing and "gaming strategies" impact intervention success.
• Parental involvement and raising the public profile of children's sleep issues are crucial.

Conclusions:

• A theory-driven framework is essential for developing and evaluating effective SHE interventions for children with developmental disabilities.
• Policy and practice should prioritize parental engagement and address systemic barriers to successful sleep interventions.
• Further research is needed to validate this theory-driven framework in practice.