ASSESSMENT OF INTERVENTION FOR INFANT NIGHT WAKING - PARENTAL REPORTSAND ACTIVITY-BASED HOME MONITORING

Sleep patterns of 50 infants (aged 9-24 months) with sleep disturbance s were studied by using an activity monitor (actigraph) and parental r eports during the baseline and intervention periods. Two behavioral in tervention methods were used to treat the multiple or prolonged night- waking problems. Infant sleep significantly improved during the period of intervention as measured by both actigraphic and parental monitori ng. The discrepancy between parental and actigraphic measures increase d over time, as did the number of omitted items from the parental dail y logs. The results highlight some of the advantages as well as some o f the limitations of actigraphic and parental monitoring of infant sle ep, and they suggest that the two methods may have complementary roles in assessing intervention efficacy in this field.