Multidimensional Sleep Health of Toddlers With Down Syndrome: A Descriptive Study Guided by the Pediatric Sleep...

Sleep health supports child development and family well-being. Toddlers with Down syndrome experience elevated sleep difficulties, yet few studies have examined their sleep within a multidimensional framework.

To apply the Pediatric Sleep Health framework (Peds B-SATED) to characterize multidimensional sleep health and sleep-related practices of toddlers with Down syndrome (12-36 mo).

Secondary analysis of cross-sectional descriptive data.

Clinics and organizations serving families of children with Down syndrome.

Twenty-four mothers of children with Down syndrome were recruited.

Parent-reported Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire items mapped onto the Peds B-SATED domains (Behavior, Satisfaction, Alertness, Timing, Efficiency, Duration). Descriptive statistics summarized sleep profiles and parental practices.

Fifty percent of the sample demonstrated multidomain sleep difficulties; 33% had difficulties in a single domain, and 17% had none. Behavior was the most problematic domain (63%), followed by satisfaction and efficiency (29% each), timing (25%), and duration (13%). Most children had structured sleep behaviors (consistent bedtimes/routines ≥80%; falling asleep independently, 70%; limited prebedtime screen exposure, 67%) and high parental satisfaction. Most children woke up happy and took one daytime nap (>90%). Sleep timing and efficiency were characterized by early bedtimes (median lights-out 8 p.m.; median wake 7 a.m.), no night awakenings (71%), and mean sleep latency of 13.5 min. Mean 24-hr sleep duration was 12.5 hr.

A multidimensional approach to characterizing sleep health reveals heterogeneous sleep profiles across domains and offers clinicians and researchers an in-depth view of intervention targets for toddlers with Down syndrome. Plain-Language Summary: This study examined the sleep health of toddlers with Down syndrome ages 12-36 months by using the Pediatric Sleep Health framework, which looks at multiple aspects of sleep, including routines, quality, timing, and duration. Parents of 24 children completed a questionnaire about their child's sleep, and then we mapped their responses to this sleep health framework. We found that most children went to bed and woke up early, slept about 12.5 hr per day, and were described as good sleepers. However, many children had at least one area of difficulty, most often related to bedtime behaviors (63%). In general, about 17% had no sleep-related concerns, whereas the remainder experienced challenges in one or more areas. These findings show that even when overall sleep appears good, specific sleep behaviors may still benefit from attention. Using a multidimensional sleep health framework can help identify these patterns and better describe sleep health of young children with Down syndrome.