Sleep with Disability Webinar Series

$220.00
Type: Course

COURSE NOW AVAILABLE ON DEMAND!

PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE NO COURSE EXTENSIONS

Please make sure the course time frame suits you. You will have 8 weeks to complete the course.

WHEN PLACING THE ORDER PLEASE USE THE PARTICIPANTS FULL NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS. LOGIN DETAILS WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY SENT TO THESE DETAILS GIVEN AT TIME OF PURCHASE.


The Sleep with Disability Webinar Series (N=6) is aimed at allied health professionals working in the home and local community with families of children and adolescents with developmental disabilities and sleep disturbance. The webinars are intended to provide information as presented in the two-day training for allied health and educational professionals conducted by Annie O’Connell MAppSC (OT) since 2005. The training has evolved from clinical experience, training participants’ feedback, an overseas Churchill Fellowship, and research.

Parent training as a sleep intervention is receiving increasing attention where parents take on the role of co-clinician in planning and implementing the child’s intervention (1,2,3). The Sleep with Disabilities Webinar Series provides detailed information on how to develop a unique sleep plan with families with individualized goals, things to do during the day, night routine, combination of communication, sensory and behavioral strategies and reinforcement. Children who present with medically related sleep issues require referral to an appropriate medical health professional.


Practitioners who undertake this training will be able to:

  • Understand the stages and cycles of sleep and need for sleep.

  • Interpret sleep diaries.

  • Appraise a sleep history.

  • Identify possible sleep disturbance.

  • Recognize indicators for referral to specialized services.

  • Consider a child and family’s readiness to commence intervention to reduce sleep disturbance.

  • Review strategies to reduce sleep disturbance.

  • Develop a sleep plan based on communication, sensory and behavioral strategies.

  • Set sleep goals.

  • Monitor and adapt a sleep plan.


The six webinars cover the following topics:
  • Sleep Education

  • Prevalence & Types of Sleep Disturbances; Use of Screening tools, Sleep Diary & Sleep Interview

  • Preparation for a Sleep Plan; Establish a routine; Behavioral strategies Part A and Case Studies

  • Behavioral Strategies Part B; Communication Strategies Resources and Case Studies

  • Sensory strategies – light therapy; Positive Reinforcement; Goal setting:

  • Selecting a Sleep Strategy; Monitoring Sleep Plans; Sleep wise Research; N=50 Case Studies


While each webinar is approximately 45 minutes in duration you are asked to pause the webinar while activities are completed either individually or in small groups. For example, in Webinar One there are two activities – calculating your average sleep and compiling the pros and cons of co-sleeping. Please allow extra time for the activities. The webinars will include examples of published case studies, 50 clinical case studies and resources.


PRESENTER: Annie O'Connell

Annie O’Connell is an occupational therapist with over 40 years of experience and has worked in a variety of pediatric settings in Australia and overseas. In 2003 Annie completed her M.App.Sc (OT) by research investigating ‘Sleep Disturbance in Children with Autism and the use of a Waterbed’. From 2003 to 2015 Annie was the Lead Practitioner for the ‘Sleep Wise Project’ addressing sleep disturbance in young people with developmental disabilities developed by Child and Youth Services, Disability Services in South Australia. Two research grants from the Apex Foundation for Research into Intellectual Disability Limited allowed the evaluation of the Sleep wise approach for children 2–6 years of age and 8–18 years of age. Annie was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2009 to further explore the management of sleep disturbance in the UK, USA, and Canada. Annie facilitates face-to-face training under ‘Sleep Ability’ www.sleepability.com.au/

If you wish to purchase the e-manual for this course, please click HERE