Sleep problems in children with cerebral palsy and their parents

AIM: To describe: (1) the frequency and types of sleep problems, (2) parent‐rated satisfaction with their child’s and their own sleep, and (3) child factors related to the occurrence of sleep problems in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and their parents. The secondary objective was to compare the sleep outcomes of children with CP with those from typically developing children and their parents. METHOD: The Sleep section of the 24‐hour activity checklist was used to assess the sleep of children with CP and their parents and the sleep of typically developing children and their parents. RESULTS: The sleep outcomes of 90 children with CP (median age 5y, range 0–11y, 53 males, 37 females, 84.4% ambulatory) and 157 typically developing peers (median age 5y, range 0–12y; 79 males, 78 females) and their parents were collected. Children with CP were more likely to have a sleep problem than typically developing children. Non‐ambulatory children with CP were more severely affected by sleep problems than ambulatory children. The parents of non‐ambulatory children were less satisfied about their child’s and their own sleep. Waking up during the night, pain/discomfort in bed, and daytime fatigue were more common in children with CP and more prevalent in children who were non‐ambulatory. INTERPRETATION: These findings highlight the need to integrate sleep assessment into routine paediatric health care practice. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) are more likely to have a sleep problem than typically developing peers. Non‐ambulatory children with CP are more severely affected by sleep problems. One‐third of parents of children with CP report feeling sleep‐deprived often or always compared to a quarter of parents of typically developing children.