Behavioral approaches to the treatment of sleep problems in children with developmental disorders: What is the state of the art?

This paper reviews behavioral treatments for sleep problems in children with a developmental disorder (DD). Sleep problems are common in children with a DD and children¿s sleep problems may be associated with adverse consequences including behaviour problems, compromised daytime functioning and family stress. However, the sleep intervention literature for these children is seriously lacking, with only extinction and graduated extinction approaches meeting criteria for a probably efficacious treatment for common sleeplessness problems. The investigation of behavioral treatments for other sleep difficulties remains in its infancy. The impact of sleep problems and successful treatment is largely unexplored, while professional awareness regarding sleep problems and their treatment appears poor.