Sleep and your special needs child

Sleep is vital for children's well-being. Without enough sleep their health, mood, behaviour and learning ability may all be impaired.

Research shows that children with additional needs are more likely to have sleep disorders than typically developing children, and that without intervention these problems will persist.

Victoria Dawson is a successful sleep practitioner and founder of the Children's Sleep Charity.

Here, together with health writer Antonia Chitty, she shares her own experiences, those of other sleep experts and those of parents. While most parents of babies expect sleep problems to resolve within months, parents of children with special needs can find them lasting into adolescence and beyond.

This is a pressing issue for parents, as disturbed sleep can cause depression, relationship problems and a weakening of the immune system.

The majority of parents receive little or no help with sleep problems, and few families have access to sleep practitioners. This book addresses sleep problems using a highly successful behavioural and cognitive approach to sleep management, and is the first book to explain these approaches in detail. The practical advice contained is invaluable for parents who want to feel more in control and more confident about tackling sleep issues in a way that is appropriate for their child.