Jessica Hoffarth, MS, OTR/L, an occupational therapy team member at the Midtown office of Child and Family Development, often asks parents about their child’s sleep/wake cycle during the evaluation process.    

Recently, she read this article about troubled children and sleep difficulites.  Jessica often make suggestions for helping kids get into a bedtime routine.  As necessary, she collaborates with a child psychologist on our team too. 

A sleep journal and/or a monitor can track:

• what time they are put to bed
• how often they need to be checked or resettled  
• how long it took to get to sleep
• if they woke up during the night
• how many hours of sleep they get 
• arousal activities

Monitor all acitivites and inputs to determine what helps calm your child, including sensory inputs like touch, taste, sight, sound and movement.  Then, implement these during the time of day leading up to when your child is often tired or is preparing for rest. 

She and other licensed occupational therapists are available to share their expertise.