Impact of sleep on executive functioning in school-age children with Down syndrome.
A J Esbensen, E K Hoffman
PMID 29696706WHAT IT FOUND
Parents reporting restless sleep in children with Down syndrome also reported more trouble with impulse control, shifting, and working memory.
Teachers noted impulse issues too. However, sleep problems did not predict actual performance on cognitive tests.
Key findings
01Parent-reported restless sleep was associated with parent-reported difficulties in inhibitory control, shifting, and working memory.
02Parent-reported restless sleep was associated with teacher-reported difficulties in inhibitory control, but not shifting or working memory.
03Sleep measures did not predict the child's actual performance on neuropsychological tests of executive functioning.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Small sample size (n=30) and described as a pilot, limiting generalizability. Shared method variance: parent reports of sleep and parent reports of executive function may be influenced by the same rater bias. Actigraphy did not correlate with the same outcomes as parent reports, suggesting different aspects of sleep were captured or measured. No causal direction established; sleep problems and executive function issues may be bidirectional.
Declared interests
None reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that treating sleep problems will improve cognitive test scores or specific executive functions like working memory capacity. The study found associations with behavioral ratings but no link to actual neuropsychological performance.