Assessment of Sleep-Related Problems in Children with Cerebral Palsy Using the SNAKE Sleep Questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Neurology
• Sleep Medicine
• Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

• Cerebral palsy (CP) is the leading cause of childhood motor impairment.
• Sleep problems are common in children with CP but lack specific investigation tools.
• Existing research has not adequately explored the relationship between functional deficits and sleep in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate sleep problems in children with cerebral palsy using a population-specific questionnaire.
• To determine the correlation between the severity of motor and fine motor functional impairment and sleep disturbances in children with CP.
• To identify if CP subtype or comorbidities influence sleep behavior.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, hospital-based study included 100 children diagnosed with CP.
• Participants underwent standardized pediatric neurological screening (GMFCS, BFMF).
• Parents completed the Sleep Questionnaire for Children with Severe Psychomotor Impairment (SNAKE) to assess sleep behavior.

Main Results:

• Children's sleep behavior, including issues with staying asleep and daytime sleepiness, worsened with greater gross motor impairment.
• Increased fine motor impairment was associated with arousal and breathing problems during sleep.
• A significant proportion of children exhibited sleep behaviors outside the normal range according to the SNAKE questionnaire.

Conclusions:

• Functional impairment, rather than CP subtype or comorbidities, appears to be the primary driver of sleep disturbances in children with CP.
• The study highlights the importance of using population-specific tools like SNAKE for accurate sleep assessment in pediatric CP.
• Findings underscore the need for targeted interventions addressing functional deficits to improve sleep quality in children with cerebral palsy.