RAPID ACTING TREATMENT FOR A COMMON SLEEP PROBLEM

A behavioural modification package incorporating stimulus control, cue ing, and rapid-extinction techniques was applied to a group of 15 chil dren with severe learning disability who had chronic sleep disorders. Improvements in their night-settling and night-waking patterns occurre d quickly (within a few days) and, in 12 of them, were sustained at me dium-and long-term (18 months) follow-up. Additional improvements in t he children's daytime behaviour and their mothers' subjective stress i ndices were observed, though not explicitly addressed. These results c ompare favourably with those of other studies which have tested behavi oural interventions in other cohorts of children with sleep disorders. Wider application of behavioural interventions with these extremely c ommon and potentially handicapping sleep disorders is recommended.