|
|
Child and Adolescent Sleep Clinic |
|
|
 |
 |
| |
|
INDEX
WHAT WE DO
WHERE WE ARE
WHO WE ARE
TESTIMONIALS
EDUCATION
MEDIA
CONTACT US
International research is suggesting that child and adolescent sleep problems are prevalent. Our own research indicates that sleep problems (including child and adolescent insomnia) occur
in up to 50% of South Australian children and adolescents at some stage of their
development.
After recognising the lack of services in South Australia available for child
and adolescent sleep problems, the Child & Adolescent Sleep
Clinic opened in the School of Psychology at Flinders University in April 2006.
By the end of 2007, the Clinic has assessed 83 children and adolescents with
sleep disorders (e.g., insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders) from metropolitan
Adelaide, rural South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria. So far we estimate
that our treatment has been successful for 85% of families - with families tracked
6 months after successful treatment still maintaining a healthy sleep pattern.
The Clinic offers research-based treatments for school-aged children having
trouble sleeping, and continues to pioneer new treatments in order to discover
which treatments are the best for which children. As such, we are continually
striving to increase our success rate.
The Clinic has featured on the ABC’s 4 Corners, Channel 7 News, and the
Weekend Australian Magazine, and has provided consultancies and professional
development to independent clinical psychologists, social workers, and nurses
– making the Child & Adolescent Sleep Clinic the place for treatment
of child and adolescent insomnia in South Australia.
For parents of infants with sleep problems, please contact Kate
Jackson.
For adults (aged 18 to 54 years), please contact the Flinders
University Psychology Clinic.
For adults (aged 55 years and over), please contact Dr.
Helen Wright.
The treatment we currently provide
is known as cognitive-behaviour therapy, or CBT for short. This treatment involves
educating families about the nature of sleep and sleep problems, modifying children’s
behaviours around their bedtimes, and teaching children how to modify the way
they think about their sleep problem.
CBT involves several sessions over
a period of 8 weeks.
In order to ensure that the treatments
we provide at the Child & Adolescent Sleep Clinic are the best, we are constantly
evaluating their effectiveness. For the children, adolescents, and parents in
the program, this means completing questionnaires along the way, and wearing
wrist monitors to monitor their sleep.
Currently we off CBT to children
and adolescents aged 7 to 18 yrs.
However, we will be offering group sessions for parents of toddlers with sleep
problems in early 2007.
Download map here 
|
|
|
"Would you please let Karina know that [she] is doing so well, and
maintaining the new pattern such that I don't think we need to come ...
please pass on again my thanks to Karina and Greg for all their help and
time; we have all benefited enormously."
Mother of an 8-year old girl who use to have difficulty falling asleep
at night.
April 2008
"I appreciate what you
did for [her] ... Her sleep is not a problem. I just let her go and she's
alright. It's been wonderful. And if anything happens again she's got
the skills to do something about it"
Mother of a 13-year old girl
six months after finishing treatment for her delayed sleep pattern.
"Life is so different now.
Very happy. She now goes to bed and falls asleep straight away. Thank
you."
Mother of 7-year old girl who use to take 1 hour to fall asleep, and now
takes 10 to 20 minutes.
June 2007
"In the form I filled
out it asked if [my son] still has a sleep problem. I had to answer yes
but would have liked to explain. I think [he] will always have a problem
but as long as he sticks to getting up on time he copes really well. The
transformation in my son is amazing. I say good morning at 7:15am in the
morning and at 7:30 I tell him it's time to get up. He does and is civil
- which is the major transformation. We can talk to him and he is awake,
not his old self who would tell us rudely to go away and not talk to him
... Anyway I really want to say thank you for the opportunity to take
part in this program as we have learnt so much and it has changed the
atmosphere in our home. The only regret is that we didn't do it years
ago. I think it would have been great years ago. [His] attitude to school
may have been different if he was more awake and happier."
Mother of 14-year old boy who use to fall asleep at 2am on school nights.
May 2007
"Just a quick note to
thank you for all your help, time, advice and ears. It certainly has been
beneficial to not only [her] but our whole family. The questionnaire that
both [her] and I filled in was at times a little hard to answer as there
was not a lot of leway between answers, that is because we both feel there
has been such an improvement in [her] whole attitude about sleeping, a
positive one I might add."
Mother of 7-year old girl who needed mum to fall asleep.
“I have no more silly
thoughts [during the night] any more”
9-year old boy
Aug 2006
“Hi Michael. I’m
going very good with my sleeping. Waking up early. C-YA”
10-year old girl
Sep 2006
“Just wanted to let you
know that [she] has successfully been on her school camp with no issues
which is just terrific!! Thank you again for all of your hard work and
help with this I really appreciate it.”
Mother of 10-year old girl who use to sleep in her parent’s room
Nov 2006
|
|
