Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine in the Child

Book excerpt: This book is for any professional who sees children (or parents of children) with sleep problems including pediatricians, primary care physicians, nurses, mental health workers, pulmonologists, neurologists, and specialists in sleep medicine. Although sleep disorders in children are very common, until recently the body of knowledge in pediatric sleep medicine was too limited to warrant a textbook devoted to this topic. In recent years, a robust scientifically based body of knowledge has emerged, and the tools to diagnose and effectively treat children with sleep disorders are now available. The first part of this book reviews normal sleep patterns and clinical assessment techniques in the child. The second part deals with specific problems related to the sleep period, problems that may be developmental, neurologic, psychologic/psychiatric, or medical in origin. Only by understanding the interactions among normal sleep patterns, parental desires, patient needs, and pathologic states can a rational approach to the evaluation and treatment of sleep disorders in children become feasible.