Australian Centre for Education in Sleep ^TM

"The sleep clinic exceeded all my expectations. Thank you." (Comment from Parent 2009)

The Paediatric Sleep Clinic has been established out of an obvious need for specialist paediatric sleep services for diagnosing and treating families with children and adolescents who are experiencing sleep problems. It is based in Adelaide, South Australia but does treat children and families from all over Australia including country and rural Australia and overseas. The Pediatric Sleep Clinic runs both individual sessions at the Adelaide based clinic and also group clinics in the wider community - see below for information about both clinics.

Who heads the clinic?

The Paediatric Sleep Clinic is led by Dr Sarah Blunden (BAPsych Hons, MSocSc, PhD) who is a clinical psychologist and member of the Australian Psychological Society, Australasian Sleep Association, International Pediatric Sleep Association, Neuroscience Network and the Australian Council of Children and the Media. Dr Blunden has been researching and treating children's sleep disorders for several years at the University of South Australia and through her Paediatric Sleep Clinic in South Australia and Northern Territory, including “E-therapy” around Australia and with an overseas stint at the University of Michigan Medical Center Pediatric Sleep Clinic.

Research undertaken by Dr Blunden indicates that there is a large percentage of children in Australia who are in need of assistance with their sleep problems. Most sleep problems only last for a while and may be related to something in the child's life (going to school, divorce in the family, getting teeth etc.) But others stay around for months and sometime years. Chronic sleep problems can have long term effects on children's physical and psychological health.

Sleep problems in children (and adults !) can be largely divided into medical sleep problems (such as sleep apnea, sleep related epilepsy) or behavioural/psychological (such as difficulties getting to sleep or staying asleep, reluctance to go to bed or sleep related anxiety). These latter problems are the type of problem treated at the Paediatric Sleep Clinic.

You may believe that your child has a sleep problem. Here are some basic questions that some parents and children have about how we can treat a sleep problem at the clinic by a psychologist.

What does a sleep psychologist do?

A sleep psychologist specialises in diagnosing and treating children's sleep problems that are behaviourally/psychologically based. What is a behavioural sleep problem? A sleep problem may be the result of a pattern of behaviours that may be getting in the way of good sleep habits. A sleep psychologist can find ways to change these sleep related behaviours (such as sleep routines, how the parents and child interact, how the child behaves when they are sacred or lonely at night) and usually when the sleep habits are changed the child's sleep patterns will improve. A sleep psychologist can also investigate whether anything else in the child's life is worrying them and interfering with their sleep such as bullying at school, moving house or a divorce in the family. Sleep can be one of the first things to be effected when a child has a change in their lives or they are worried about something. If sleep problems are found to medically based, children will be referred to medical sleep specialists.

How are the sleep problems identified?

After you have made contact with the clinic you will be sent some sleep, behaviour and family history questionnaires so that we can get a good idea of sleep problems and know a little bit about your child. This information will help us to establish how we can best fix the sleep problems. These questionnaires are usually sent back to the clinic before the first appointment. During the appointment we will go through that information and much more, to get a complete sleep history from your child to try and identify the sleep problem.

Can my child benefit from a sleep treatment program?

Potentially every behaviourally based sleep problem can be fixed. This is usually the case even if you 'have tried everything!!' Sleep programs that retrain children (and their parents) into better sleep habits, need to change habits that may have been around for a long time and usually require some effort to fix. However, if you can stick to the sleep program, there is no reason why it will not be successful. The Paediatric Sleep Clinic will support you and your child to stick to the program until sleep habits have improved. In normal childhood development, sleep is one thing that can be controlled.

At what age can my child attend the Paediatric Sleep Clinic?

The Paediatric Sleep Clinic does not develop sleep programs for infants under 6 months, but many parents come to the clinic for some sound advice, support and “evidence based” information.  The Paediatric Sleep Clinic does treat children from 6 months to 18 years. At each developmental stage, there are common sleep problems. As an infant, difficulty settling to sleep without parental assistance creates the most difficulty for families. In toddlers and pre-schoolers, bedtime reluctance, separation anxiety and constant ‘exits’ from the bedroom are the most widespread.  In school aged children bedtime fears, nightmares and bedwetting are common and in adolescents, the most common problems are related to sleepiness and difficulty falling asleep. All age groups have specific problems and can be helped to resolve their sleep difficulties. When is the best time to start a sleep program? Sleep problems may develop quickly due to an event or gradually over time. When they begin to interfere with your child's daytime behaviour, if you, the parents believe that your child is not getting enough sleep and if your family is being affected by lack of sleep, then it is time to investigate how to change things. Any time is a good time to treat a sleep problem!

What can I expect from a sleep program which will treat my child's sleep problem?

Treatment programs for behaviourally based sleep problems are usually based on the psychological theory of reinforcement. That is, we reward children for behaviour that we want them to do, but we do not reward them for behaviour we do not want them to do. If poor behaviour (such as getting out of bed, tantrums at bedtime etc.) is rewarded by attention, then the behaviour will in most cases continue. We want children to go to sleep calmly and to 'self – soothe' themselves back to sleep during the night when they wake. We want to do this with the least amount of stress for the child and the family.

• In older children, this can be done by finding small and achievable goals to change bedtime behaviour. Rewarding a child with love and encouragement for achieving goals to improve their sleep will usually result in the child continuing to show good behaviour. Children respond to rewards and love and are pleased to be 'the boss of their sleep'. A sleep program will help parents and children to find the best way to motivate the child and parents to improve poor behaviour by positive reinforcement.
• In younger children, gentle sleep programs can achieve the same result even though we cannot 'explain' things to a young baby.

A plan will be put in place and a sleep program will be given to the child and family. A sleep psychologist can also help teach a child techniques to overcome nighttime fears, nightmares, night terrors, stress, bed wetting and separation anxiety.

The Paediatric Sleep Clinic is based on the Sensible Sleep Solution™, a method developed in the clinic from theory and research by Dr Sarah Blunden which teaches a child to self soothe without the need for controlled crying. See below for parents comments on the success of this method used in the sleep clinic.

How long will it take to correct my child's sleep problem(s)?

Depending on what the problem is and how long it has been around will make a big difference to the length of time it takes to treat it. Every child and their family is different so solutions for one family may not work for another family. Some programs are finished after 4 weeks and some take longer. Once good sleep habits have been established and the child and parents know how to keep sleep habits healthy, that program can finish. If the sleep program is stuck to, there is no reason why sleep patterns cannot improve. The more the program is stuck to, the faster the improvement.

What are the costs involved?

The clinic is able to offer psychological services which are reimbursed by all private health providers through extras cover or through Medicare with relevant and specific referral from a GP or paedatrician. Fees are charged according to, but are less than, recommended fees of the Australian Psychological Society. There is a gap of between $25.00 and $45.00, depending on whether it is a first or subsequent visit.

What now?

If you would like to book an appointment either at the individual clinic or at a group clinic the Sleep Clinic to investigate your child's sleep problems, you can Contact us.

Comments from satisfied clients from Paediatric Sleep Clinic

"We are extremely grateful and happy...have already recommended to 2 friends"

"Thankyou so much for what you have done for my family...you have changed our lives forever...my child is so much more relaxed and sleeps in her bed all night without waking...not to mention what it has done for our marriage and mental health..."

"Dr Sarah Blunden has a great way of talking with children"

" always helpful...lots of ideas for sleep and general behaviour....never forced things on me, only what I was comfortable with..."

" Her ability to now sleep independently has had an enormous impact on us all. It is really good to know that there is help out there for a very difficult and under recognised issue"

"...Thank you so much, you have changed our lives...I feel more confident, happy which then impacts on the whole family..."

"Just wanted to let you know that we can't believe the transformation in ????'s behavior..."

" We have been very impressed with Dr Blunden's ability to develop a rapport with ???? and give her the skills to help solve her sleep problems...An enormous impact on everyone's overall wellbeing...

Paediatric Sleep Clinic – Group Programs

The Australian Centre for Education in Sleep facilitates a number of group programs for parents of children with sleeping problems.
These group programs are conducted by the Paediatric Sleep Clinic and are open to children between the ages of 6 months and 18 years.
Group programs are held in a number of locations across Adelaide and are conducted by Psychologist’s Dr Sarah Blunden, and Brooke Michell.

What does the group program contain?

Group content:
The group program consists of 3 group sessions, followed by an individual (one-on-one) session. The typical structure of the sessions is outlined below:

Week 1 (90 minutes):

• Information session and introduction to the program
• Psychoeducation around sleep, sleeping patterns & cycles
• Introduction to learning theory and behaviour change

Week 2 (60 minutes):

• Understanding sleep problems and considering preferred behaviours
• Changing behaviour and assessing barriers

Week 3 (60 minutes):

• Overcoming barriers
• Start developing a plan for individual behaviour change specific to your situation

Week 4 (60 minutes):

• One-on-one discussion of plan and strategies to best suit your family’s needs

How much do they cost?

Costs range from $280.00 - $320.00 for the four sessions payable at the second session

Where are the groups conducted?

In 2012, the Paediatric Sleep Clinic will be running group programs at:

• Seaton Central Community Centre (Seaton),
• Steadfast House (Maylands), and
• Lady Gowrie Child Centre (Thebarton).

The dates for these clinics are listed below:

STEADFAST HOUSE – (239 Magill Rd, Maylands)
Groups conducted in the evening

• 25th January, 1st February, 8th February, 14th February
• 4th April, 11th April, 18th April, 24th April
• 13th June, 20th June, 27th June, 3rd July
• 22nd August, 29th August, 5th September, 11th September
• 31st October, 7th November, 14th November, 20th November
  

FOR BOOKINGS OR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT THE AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN SLEEP – 8366 6507 OR BROOKE MICHELL (brookemichell@adam.com.au / 0458 058 314)

SEATON CENTRAL – (80 Balcombe Ave, Seaton)
Groups conducted on Tuesday afternoon

• 21st February, 28th February, 16th March, 13th March
• 15th May, 22nd May, 29th May, 5th June
• 7th August, 14th August, 21st August, 28th August
• 6th November, 13th November, 20th November, 27th November

FOR BOOKINGS PLEASE CONTACT SEATON CENTRAL – 8235 9556. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT BROOKE MICHELL (brookemichell@adam.com.au / 0458 058 314)

LADY GOWRIE CHILD CENTRE – (39A Dew St, Thebarton)

Groups conducted on a Tuesday evening with one information session first before commencement of the group clinics.

• 28th Feb, 6th March, 13th March , 20th March, 27th March
• 22nd May , 29th May , 5th June, 12th June,  19th June
• 21st Aug, 28th Aug, 4th Sept, 11th Sept, 18th Sept
• 13th Nov, 20th Nov, 27th Nov, 4th Dec, 11th Dec

FOR BOOKINGS OR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT THE AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR EDUCATION IN SLEEP – 8366 6507 OR BROOKE MICHELL (brookemichell@adam.com.au / 0458 058 314) or direct to Lady Gowrie Centre