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School Psychological Practice with Students with Sleep Problems

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Handbook of Australian School Psychology

Abstract

Sleep problems are highly prevalent among school-aged children and adolescents, with the most common difficulties resulting in diagnosis of insomnia disorder (in middle childhood) or delayed sleep-wake phase disorder (DSPD) (in adolescence). Sleep problems can have adverse consequences for cognitive, academic, social/emotional, behavioral, and health functioning but do not always receive attention in primary care settings. School psychologists are in a unique position to assess and treat sleep problems for individual students. Classroom-based sleep education programs are also a promising way to disseminate information about sleep to a large number of students. The current chapter will (1) provide information about common sleep problems experienced by school-aged children and adolescents, including common comorbidities, (2) summarize tools for assessment and provide guidelines for selecting appropriate treatment strategies for this population, and (3) discuss potential practical and ethical issues for consideration by the psychologist when working in a school setting.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Child and Adolescent Sleep Clinic, School of Psychology, Flinders University, 2100, Adelaide, 5001, South Australia, Australia

    Neralie L. Cain

  2. Oaks Christian School and Learning Center, 31749 La Tienda Drive, Westlake Village, CA, 91362, USA

    Robin J. Sakakini

Authors
  1. Neralie L. Cain
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  2. Robin J. Sakakini
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Correspondence to Robin J. Sakakini .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia

    Monica Thielking

  2. St. John’s University, Jamaica, New York, USA

    Mark D. Terjesen

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Cain, N.L., Sakakini, R.J. (2017). School Psychological Practice with Students with Sleep Problems. In: Thielking, M., Terjesen, M. (eds) Handbook of Australian School Psychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45166-4_32

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