Childhood Sleep Disorderes, ADD, ADHD and other "Mental Disorders"

I was directed here from a childhood sleep forum after investigating the connection between sleep and ADHD and other mental illnesses from the book It's Not Mental and the blog on sleep being a causative factor.

I didn't know alternative devices to CPAP even existed, and have a family member who absolutely hates the CPAP and the parents will be very happy with the information you have provided.

Thank you!

Dr Shapira Response: Research is finding that sleep is involved in almost every physiologic and disease process to some extent. I believe that early intervention with young children willl make incredible changes in developing children. Research has shown that the speed of brain development is strongly affected by the quality of sleep (especially in the case of sleep apnea). Patients with undiagnosed and untreated sleep apnea have permanent changes in brain development.

Treatment of pediatric sleep apnea is often limited to removal of tonsils and adenoids and this can be a grave mistake. The developmental changes in the oral, nasal and pharyngeal tissues do not normalize after T&A surgery.

Orthopedic widening of the maxilla (and maybe mandible) is incredibly safe and effective in children should always be considered as part of the total treatment. It has also been suggested that Rapid Maxiallry Expmansion or RME be considered prior to removal of tonsils oradenois to reduce surgical risk and morbidity. I frequently build expansion into appliances that treat sleep apnea. The same bite changes that are considered problematic in some adults are actually beneficial to children wearing oral appliances.

Parents in the Midwest have access to Dr Alexander Golbin (http://chicagosbmi.com/about-us) who is a leading expert on children and sleep disorders. He wrote the book on Children's Sleep and was head of Child Psychiatry at cook County Hospital for 25 years. He is an excellent resource for parents of children with Autism, ADD, ADHD, and bedwetting and other developmental challenges.

I have an adult practice with the exception of children with sleep disordeers, TMJ disorders, TMD or chronic headaches. Chronic headaches in children and adolescents are almost always related to the stomtognathic sytem including teeth, jaws, jaw joints, jaw muscles, sinus regions and the all important Trigeminal Nerve.

I have thousands of visitors sent to my site from other health blogs and I thank you for listing my site on those blogs. We can improve the health and quality of life for patients

Sound Sleep for Your Children

Anyone with sleep apnea may not notice they suffer from the disorder because the symptoms of sleep apnea are usually only apparent while sleeping or are nonspecific and may be attributed to other factors. Most of the time, a significant other notices that their partner snores and stops breathing several times a night because they are sleeping in the same room.

The symptoms of sleep apnea in children are more difficult to notice because children usually sleep in a room by themselves. Snoring is a good indicator in adults that they may have sleep apnea. However, many children snore and snoring is not always a sign of sleep apnea in children.

Sleep apnea symptoms to look out for in children include:

• Breathing through the mouth
• Difficulty sleeping or restless sleep
• Excessive sleepiness during the day
• Failure to either lose or gain weight
• Tonsils that are enlarged
• Problems paying attention at school
• Hyperactivity or aggressive behavior

A pediatric ENT is the best person to diagnose your child’s sleep apnea. Diagnosis of sleep apnea in children is usually based on their behavioral symptoms and enlarged tonsils. Depending on your child’s symptoms and needs, a sleep study may be performed.

Children with sleep apnea who are treated for the condition will get a good night’s sleep and have the rest required to do well in school. You will notice improvement in your child’s behavior and grades at school after treatment.

If you believe your child is suffering from sleep apnea, please speak with a sleep apnea dentist in your area for help.