Pediatric Behavioral Sleep Medicine

Course Chairs
Jodi Mindell, PhD, DBSM
Lisa J. Meltzer, PhD, DBSM

Learning Objectives

  • Identify behavioral and developmental factors contributing to sleep disturbances in infants and toddlers to inform age-appropriate assessment and intervention strategies
  • Distinguish common behavioral and environmental contributors to sleep disturbances in preschool-aged children to guide effective behavioral sleep interventions
  • Formulate evidence-based behavioral and cognitive strategies to address insomnia in adolescents, considering developmental, psychosocial, and circadian influences
  • Differentiate among primary and secondary hypersomnia disorders in pediatric patients to support accurate diagnosis and individualized behavioral or pharmacologic treatment planning
  • Compare and integrate objective measures (e.g., actigraphy, polysomnography) with subjective tools (e.g., sleep diaries, questionnaires) to enhance the accuracy of pediatric sleep assessments and treatment planning
  • Analyze behavioral, developmental, and psychosocial factors influencing pediatric adherence to positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy to implement targeted strategies that improve long-term treatment engagement
  • Modify behavioral sleep medicine approaches to account for socio-demographic factors such as race, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status, and cultural beliefs, thereby promoting equitable and effective care in pediatric populations
  • Analyze the impact of foster care placement, trauma exposure, and environmental instability on pediatric sleep patterns to inform trauma-sensitive behavioral sleep interventions
  • Analyze the relationship between trauma exposure and sleep disturbances in pediatric populations to inform trauma-informed behavioral sleep interventions and care planning

Schedule

  

1:00pm – 1:05pm

Welcome, overview, and logistics

Part I: Insomnia Across Development

1:05pm – 1:25pm

Infant and toddler sleep disturbances
Jodi Mindell, PhD, DBSM

1:25pm – 1:45pm

Preschool sleep disturbances
Graham Reid, PhD

1:45pm – 2:05pm

Adolescent insomnia
Valerie Crabtree, PhD, DBSM

2:05pm – 2:25pm

Group Q&A

2:25pm – 2:40pm

Break

Part II: Clinical Topics

2:40pm – 3:00pm

Hypersomnia
Eric Zhou, PhD

3:00pm – 3:20pm

Objective/subjective assessment of pediatric sleep
Lisa J. Meltzer, PhD, DBSM

3:20pm – 3:40pm

PAP adherence
Melissa S. Xanthopolous, MS, PhD

3:40pm – 4:00pm

Group Q&A

4:00pm – 4:15pm

Break

Part III: DEI Issues

4:15pm – 4:35pm

Adapting behavioral interventions for socio-demographically diverse populations
Ariel Williamson, PhD, DBSM

4:35pm – 4:55pm

Sleep and foster care
Candice Alfano, PhD

4:55pm – 5:15pm

Sleep and trauma
Michal Kahn, PhD

5:15pm – 5:35pm

Group Q&A

Save the Date
November 5 – November 8, 2025

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

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