SLEEP PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN WITH SEVERE INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES - WHAT HELP IS BEING PROVIDED

Sleep problems are common and persistent in children with severe intel lectual disabilities. Research conducted mainly in the 1980s suggested that the most widely used form of intervention was pharmacological al though studies have demonstrated that behaviouraI management may be mo re appropriate. This study aimed to investigate whether the practical implications of such research had been acted upon by describing parent s' experiences of interventions they had been offered and also their u sefulness. Questionnaires were distributed via schools to parents of c hildren with severe intellectual disabilities in Oxfordshire and Berks hire. Results are based on 209 replies (43% response rate). Only 47% o f parents of children with sleep problems (n = 124) had received any f orm of treatment. Where treatment had been received, medication was st ill the most widely used form although parents considered behavioural interventions to be more helpful in reducing difficulties. 55% of pare nts of children with current sleep problems wanted to receive treatmen t, suggesting a gap in service provision. Possible reasons why 45% did not want to receive treatment are considered.