Helping your child sleep better
Understanding sleep and FASD
The FASD Sleep Project
The FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) Sleep Project is part of a PhD titled "Sleep, Emotion and Behaviour in children with FASD."
UCL Institute of Education: Lifespan Learning and Sleep Laboratory
One of the main concerns for parents of children with FASD is sleep. Sleep is important to healthy behavioural and psychological development. By improving children's sleep, we can improve daytime behaviour, anxiety and frustration.
FASDsleep.com provides the opportunity to take part in sleep research, and sends out detailed sleep resources to parents.
Giving you recommendations
Take part in a Sleep Workshop
Periodically, we will be running workshops for caregivers,
given by sleep scientists at The UCL Institute of Education.
How we can help you
Receive a short report on your child’s sleeping patterns (complete questionnaire>>)
Ways in which you can help your child sleep - behavioural interventions; sleep hygiene resources.
Behavioural results
Emotion - key areas
Suggested behavioural and emotional interventions
Receive a long report on your child's sleeping patterns (complete questionnaire>> attend sleep workshop, child wears actigraphy watch and respiration monitor at night for a week)
Ways in which you can help your child sleep - behavioural interventions; sleep hygiene resources.
Behavioural results
Emotion - key areas
Suggested behavioural and emotional interventions
Actigraphy results
Respiration
Pulse oximetry
Consultation with sleep expert
If you are interested in receiving the long report, please indicate your interest at the end of the questionnaire.
Contact
Sleep plays an important part in children’s development. A good nights sleep can have an effect on children's physical and mental health, especially on behaviour and emotions.
Many children have issues with sleeping. But, for those with FASD, sleep problems might be particularly difficult to deal with.
Around 80% of parents and carers of children with FASD say their children have problems. These can include:
Frequently waking up at night
Feeling scared at night
Sleep walking
Problems settling
Problems waking
Problems understanding the concept of bedtime
Melatonin or sensory issues
Yet, we know relatively little about why sleep is so important in children’s development. In fact, scientists do not know why we sleep. What we do know is that if we address sleep problems, we can begin to help the emotional and behaviour problems that children may face.
This research is looking at whether sleep problems can be linked to behavioural problems, or emotional problems. We then want to look at whether we can help these problems through tailored intervention. FASD itself is a condition that is unique to every individual that has it. Interventions therefore have to be tailored to each individual.
Your participation in this research will enable us to conduct some vital research into FASD, behaviour and sleep. You can take part if your child is aged between 6 and 16. To learn more, or take part, click the button below.