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| Understanding and Improving Sleep in Children With Autism: Assessment, Analysis and Behavioral Interventions |
| Friday, May 26, 2023 |
| 12:00 PM–3:00 PM |
| Convention Center Mile High Ballroom 3A |
| Area: AUT/CBM; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CE Instructor: Dag Strömberg, M.S. |
| DAG STRÖMBERG (Stockholm University; Swedish Association for Behavior Analysis) |
| Description: Sleep problems are frequent in children with autism. Research indicates that behavioral interventions are effective for improving sleep. This workshop will present a description of normal sleep and a behavioral account of sleep. Further, an emphasis will be placed on describing a selection of behavioral strategies to assess, prevent and treat the most common sleep problems in individuals with autism. The participants will be provided with opportunities to practice how to identify environmental causes of impaired sleep. Concrete advice on how to increase the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep through the night will be discussed, with the purpose of providing participants with useful tools to help children develop good habits and routines in their natural environment. Case examples will be provided and discussed. Many of the behavioral interventions presented may also be applicable for other populations, such as typically developing children and adults, with sleep problems. |
| Learning Objectives: After completing this workshop, participants will be able to: (1) Describe sleep and sleep problems from a behavior analytic point of view; (2) Describe the most common sleep problems in children with autism; (3) State at least three assessment tools for understanding sleep problems; (4) Use a sleep diary; (5) Use at least five strategies for improving sleep hygiene; (6) State at least three strategies for sleep training, based on the principles of behavior analysis. |
| Activities: Workshop objectives will be met through a balanced presentation of lecture (a power point, which will be distributed as a hand out) and active learner participation, such as group activities, quiz questions and discussion of case examples and case data. |
| Audience: The workshop content will be at the intermediate level. Basic principles of applied behavior analysis will be briefly described related to how they can be used in sleep interventions, however, the workshop is not designed to teach these basic principles to people who are unfamiliar with ABA. Therefore, the workshop is most appropriate for RBTs, BCaBAs, BCBAs looking to gain knowledge in this specific area. Other professionals, such as occupational therapists, psychologists or special educators, who are familiar with ABA might also find the workshop useful. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Intermediate |
| Keyword(s): insomnia, sleep, sleep training |