Abstract Sleep concerns are very common in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and are associated with significant impairments in daytime functioning, behaviour, physical health and family well-being. Clinicians often face a therapeutic dilemma regarding optimal management. Melatonin has recently been licensed for paediatric insomnia in Canada. Medications used off-label may shorten sleep onset or promote longer sleep but are sedating rather than promoting normal sleep and are frequently associated with unwanted side effects. Behavioural interventions take longer to work, require a degree of commitment but lead to lasting improvements. The described case report illustrates how a family-centred, nonpharmacological sleep intervention focusing on behavioural, environmental and circadian factors can effectively address sleep concerns, maintain improvements long term and transform daytime functioning, even in complex cases, with the resolution of symptoms requiring medications prescribed for behaviour and medical conditions, highlighting the importance of healthy sleep for optimal physical and mental health.
Youssef et al. (Mon,) studied this question.