Jul 21, 2026 · 41 min · 13 segments
As part of the 2026 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Dr. Althea Robinson Shelton, Associate Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discusses sleep in…
Althea SheltonGuest
So I will be discussing sleep problems in children with neurodevelopmental differences and how to individualize the approach, so a modified approach.
I want you to be able to recognize sleep disturbances that commonly occur in neurodevelopmental disorders, understand management strategies for treating these sleep disturbances, and to describe ways to modify one's approach to assessing sleep problems in patients with neurodevelopmental disorders.
And so sleep disturbance, is quite common, and it's a common concern for caregivers of individuals with NDD.
It's been reported that the prevalence of sleep disorders in people with developmental differences is as high as 86%.
And sleep disorders in children with NDD commonly last into adolescence and adulthood, unlike their typically developing peers.
They also occur at a much higher rate than their age-matched typically developing pairs.
And sleep disturbances are included in the diagnostic criteria for many developmental disorders.
And so why a modified approach for children with neurodevelopmental disorders? So assessment of sleep in children with NDD presents unique challenges, and that's due to a couple things.
There can be a host of co-occurring conditions, and there can be an altered sensory processing or sensory experience.
And so for the child, there just overall an increased prevalence of chronic sleep concerns that you wouldn't see in a typically developing child.
They have vulnerabilities that make sleep concerns more multifactorial in nature, underlying medical comorbidities, not being able to communicate what's going on with themselves.
And then there's potentially more significant challenging behavior in response to common approaches.
So we have this ideal approach that we read in our sleep books that may not actually work for children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
So, you know, a parent feeling shame when their next-door neighbor makes a joke because their nine-year-old is still co-sleeping with them.
There could be apprehension that providers don't really understand the complexity of their child's profile.
But we also have to remember that if their child is not sleeping, then they're not sleeping.
So I will be discussing sleep problems in children with neurodevelopmental differences and how to individualize the approach, so a modified approach.
I want you to be able to recognize sleep disturbances that commonly occur in neurodevelopmental disorders, understand management strategies for treating these sleep disturbances, and to describe ways to modify one's approach to assessing sleep problems in patients with neurodevelopmental disorders.
And so sleep disturbance, is quite common, and it's a common concern for caregivers of individuals with NDD.
It's been reported that the prevalence of sleep disorders in people with developmental differences is as high as 86%.
And sleep disorders in children with NDD commonly last into adolescence and adulthood, unlike their typically developing peers.
They also occur at a much higher rate than their age-matched typically developing pairs.
And sleep disturbances are included in the diagnostic criteria for many developmental disorders.
And so why a modified approach for children with neurodevelopmental disorders? So assessment of sleep in children with NDD presents unique challenges, and that's due to a couple things.
There can be a host of co-occurring conditions, and there can be an altered sensory processing or sensory experience.
And so for the child, there just overall an increased prevalence of chronic sleep concerns that you wouldn't see in a typically developing child.
They have vulnerabilities that make sleep concerns more multifactorial in nature, underlying medical comorbidities, not being able to communicate what's going on with themselves.
And then there's potentially more significant challenging behavior in response to common approaches.
So we have this ideal approach that we read in our sleep books that may not actually work for children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
So, you know, a parent feeling shame when their next-door neighbor makes a joke because their nine-year-old is still co-sleeping with them.
There could be apprehension that providers don't really understand the complexity of their child's profile.
But we also have to remember that if their child is not sleeping, then they're not sleeping.
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