Treatment of Sleep Disturbances in School-age Children With Down Syndrome

Summary

The investigators long-term goal is to improve outcomes for children with Down syndrome (DS) and their caregivers. Towards that goal, the investigators propose a randomized clinical trial of a behavioral sleep treatment designed specifically for children with DS, documenting the impact not only on sleep, but also on the child's daytime inhibitory control and behavior problems, and the caregiver's sleep and stress levels. The investigators will randomize 80 families of children with DS ages 6-17 to receive either a 5-session behavioral sleep treatment (BST; targeting sleep education, behavioral principles and visual supports) or a general-education control condition (CON). The BST will cater to the unique needs of children with DS, adapting an intervention that successfully treats behavioral sleep disturbances in children with autism1. Pre- and post-intervention, children will undergo comprehensive assessments of cognitive, behavioral, and adaptive functioning involving direct testing and input from parents and teachers. Child and parent sleep will be monitored via actigraphy and parent-completed sleep diaries, and parents will report on their stress levels and mood.

Conditions

• Down Syndrome

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Behavioral Sleep Treatment

1. Introduction to the treatment program, an overview of common sleep problems in DS, and the basic principles of the behavioral approach as it relates to sleep problems 2. Information on healthy sleep hygiene, preventative techniques, and use of visual supports 3. Information on reinforcement and extinction procedures for bedtime struggles, codependence, night waking, early waking 4. Information on procedures for delayed sleep onset and problematic sleep associations 5. Feedback on implementation of behavioral sleep treatments and strategies for managing sleep hygiene in the future

BEHAVIORAL

Standard of care sleep treatment enhanced with psychoeducation

1. Introduction to the general-education program, build rapport with family, and review basic information on Down syndrome 2. Introduction to understanding and interpreting results from clinical evaluations 3. Introduction to educational planning, expectations, and transition planning 4. Introduction to lifespan development and advocacy and support services available 5. Feedback on current concerns and methods for obtaining services to manage concerns

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

6 Years

Max Age

17 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2015-07-31

Primary Completion

2018-05-31

Completion

2018-05-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations