Pediatric Sleep Intervention Certificate Training

 

This is a two-day, comprehensive course that teaches on a broad range of areas that impact sleep quality. The curriculum for this training comes from evidence-based research and practices and is intended for anyone interested in learning about the specifics for assessment and treatment of pediatric sleep conditions. This training explores the intersections of health, nutrition, development, sensory processing, and attachment on a child’s overall sleep success. Attendees will also practice using the Sleep Triangle assessment tool for evaluating the child’s sleep needs and formulating a thorough sleep plan. Additionally, attendees will be provided a Pediatric Sleep Intervention Provider Handbook for 0-5yrs. The goal of this training is to empower providers with the framework of a “whole-child” perspective when evaluating sleep needs for both the child and the family. 

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Learning Objectives

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After participating in this training:

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1. Attendees will be able to administer the Pediatric Health and Sleep Screener and use it to evaluate and formulate developmentally specific sleep plans.
    

2. Attendees will be able to identify the three factors of analysis for the Sleep Triangle: Systemic Factors, Sensory Factors, and Behavioral Factors and identify each child’s unique sleep needs.
    

3. Attendees will be able to create a sleep schedule based on each child’s age and neuro-developmental stage that supports the recommended amount of sleep set-out by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
    

4. Attendees will be able to define comorbid sleep issues for each of the five common developmental diagnosis categories: neurocognitive disorders, pre-term birth, trauma, genetic disorders, and sensorimotor disorders.
    

5. Attendees will be able to evaluate gut-health related sleep issues and analyze the child’s current nutritional needs a cross four areas: protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to add nutritional recommendations to the child’s sleep plan.
    

6. Attendees will be able to evaluate the parent-child dynamic to determine the level of attachment supportive intervention to be included with the sleep plan.
    

7. Attendees will be able to discuss and collaborate with caregivers to develop a culturally-supportive plan that identifies the parent as part of the treatment team and expert in their family’s needs. 

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AGENDA

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Day One

8:30-9am: REGISTRATION SIGN-IN

9am-11am: SLEEP FOUNDATIONS

• Typical sleep development 0-5 (terminology, sleep schedules, sleep patterns, regressions, and the sleep impact on developmental milestones)

• Gestational Contributors to Sleep Regulation (perinatal mental and physical health, gestational experience, epigenetics, substance exposure, pregnancy complications).

• Early Experiences of Nurture & Attachment (post-partum experience, co-regulation & parental self-efficacy, infant response to caregiver, neurological benefit of parent assisted soothing).

• Safe Sleep Guidelines and SIDs (guidelines explained, modification based on family values, SIDs vs accidental death, resources for increasing sleep safety in infancy).

11:00am-11:15am: BREAK

11:15am-1:00pm: NEURO-DEVELOPMENTAL SLEEP STAGES

• Primary Regulation Level: (primitive brain systems and nervous system regulation, co-regulation needs, at-risk groups).

• Sensori-motor Level: (connection between motor skills and sleep, sensory requirements, typical vs disrupted sleep movement, feeding/appetite factors).

• Emotional Processing Level: (nightmares/night terrors, separation anxiety, stress impact on cortisol and melatonin production, emotional supports for sleep needs).

• Cognitive & Executive Functioning Level: (collaborative sleep strategies, communication around sleep routines, preparation for transitions).

1:00pm-2:00pm: LUNCH (provided)

2:00pm-4:00pm: THE WHOLE-BODY SLEEP SYSTEM

• Nutrition: (sleep nutrients, supplementation recommendations, symptoms of nutritional deficiency in sleep patterns).

• GI/Digestion: (gut micro-biome, irregular bowel movements and sleep disruption, laxatives and malabsorption, candida overgrowth symptoms in sleep).

• Respiration: (breathing conditions affecting sleep, impact of steroids and medication on sleep quality, allergies and over-active histamine production).

• Skin: (external reactions to internal systems, interoception, pain/discomfort sleep disruption).

• Brain Health: (sleep structures in the brain, nocturnal electrical activity, AED sleep side-effects).

 

Day Two

9:00am-10:00am: DEVELOPMENTAL CONDITIONS AFFECTING SLEEP

• Neurocognitive Conditions: (autism and sleep disorders, comorbid systemic issues in autism dx, affects of sleep supplementation of melatonin, ritualistic sleep behaviors).

• Sensorimotor Conditions: (motor disorders, rhythmic movement disorder, self-injurious bx, vision impairment, deaf and hard-of-hearing children, adaptive sleep equipment).

• Genetic Conditions: (risk factors for sleep, down syndrome/cri du chat/angelman syndrome and comorbid sleep issues, respiratory and GI considerations).

• Trauma: (elevated stress response, reprocessing trauma through sleep, trauma-informed sleep strategies).

10:00am-11:00am: MEDICAL CONDITION AFFECTING SLEEP

• Pre-Term Birth: (neurological impact, sleep safety concerns, growth and nutritional supplementation, hyper-response to stress). 

• G-Tube Feeds: (GI distress symptoms, digestion in sleep, oral microbiome).

• Sleep Apnea: (types of apnea and at-risk groups, symptoms in sleep, treatment options, monitoring options).

11:00am-11:15am: BREAK

11:15am-1:00pm: PEDIATRIC SLEEP & DEVELOPMENT SCREENER (SLEEP TRIANGLE)

• Sleep Triangle: (systemic factors, sensory factors, and behavioral factors)

1:00pm-2:00pm: LUNCH (provided)

2:00pm-4:00pm: SLEEP PLAN BUILDER & CASE STUDY ANALYSIS

• Sleep Goals: (parent-interview, common sleep-behavior goals, small-group case study discussion and sleep plans).