Evaluation of sleep support workshop- what parents think

Poor sleep can lead to neurodevelopmental, academic and behavioural consequences in children and young people. Sleep disorders, although common in children but appropriate diagnosis and support is often not available locally. We conducted a single centre survey among parents who attended sleep support workshop offered by Bedford community paediatric service. 28 parents responded (out of 70). 12 had already seen paediatrician for assessment of neurodevelopmental disorders, 11 waiting and 5 had isolated sleep issues. Difficulty in falling asleep (23), difficulty in maintaining sleep (11) and early morning waking (9) were main complains. The survey showed subjective improvement in knowledge about sleep problems in parents and 16/28 parents felt some improvement in their child’s sleep. This small scale, single centre observation suggests that sleep support training can improve parental understanding of sleep problems and may improve sleep problems in children.