Sleep disturbances in specific learning disorders: a qualitative and quantitative investigation

Autor: Anna Maria Chilosi, Mariachiara Di Lieto, Tommaso Banfi, Paola Cristofani, Filippo Gasperini, Silvia Spoglianti, Ilaria Giuntoli, Chiara Pecini, Ugo Faraguna, Emanuela Iinguaggiato, Daniela Brizzolara
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: Minerva pediatrica.
ISSN: 1827-1715
Popis: Background The literature reports a significant association between sleep disorders and learning disabilities. Nevertheless, not all children with learning disorders have sleep alterations, and which sleep characteristics are associated with which learning difficulty is still unknown. The study aimed at acquiring new information on the relation between sleep disturbances or habits and the learning profiles of children with Specific Learning Disorder (SLD). Methods The Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) and an actigraph (the FitBit-Flex, FB-F) were used in 26 and 16 SLD children respectively; all children were also assessed for learning skills. Results Although parents' reports at the SDSC did not differentiate SLD from typical readers, the awakening, respiratory and arousal disturbances at the SDSC correlated with sleep duration at the FB-F. Sleep alterations at the FB-F actigraph characterize SLD with literacy difficulties: children with reading decoding difficulties showed shorter minimum amount of sleep than typical children, and severe SLDs showed shorter maximum sleep duration and a higher number of awakenings in comparison to SLDs with mild learning deficits. Conclusions Mild alterations in the amount, duration and quality of sleep may characterize children with learning disorders and actigraphy proves to be a useful tool in starting the individual monitoring of sleep in these populations.
Databáze: OpenAIRE