SLEEP-WAKE RELATED DISORDERS - MyHope

Autism Spectrum Disorders – Lecture for Physician Assistants

Autism Spectrum Disorders A Lecture for Physician Assistants (August 2013)Presented by: Susan Hepburn, Ph.D., Assoc. Professor, Depts. Of Psychiatry & Pediatrics/JFK PartnersUniversity of Colorado School of Medicine. e-mail: Susan.hepburn@ucdenver.edu Objectives: To provide future health care professionals with a succinct overview of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), including signs & symptoms at different ages and basic facts […]

Go Ahead and Ask: Going to the Grocery Store

Question: It is impossible to take my 5-year old to the grocery store. A trip to Walmart is an absolute nightmare. What can I do so that I can get my shopping done without my kid losing it? Signed,Chaotic in the Checkout Line Dear Chaotic, This is a very common problem, one that we hear […]

Go Ahead and Ask: Food Obsessions

Question: My daughter with autism is 14 and non-verbal. Over the past few years, her obsessive-compulsive behaviors have become more of a problem— particularly around issues of food, hoarding, over-eating, etc. We have tried locking the food in cabinets and in the refrigerator. Unfortunately, it has been hard for us to be consistent in locking up […]

Helping Less Verbal Youth with ASD Manage Strong Emotions

Learning Objectives: Participants will recognize how the biological features of ASD make coping (or self-regulation) very challenging, especially when a person doesn’t have easy access to language. Participants will increase awareness of the behavioral signs of escalating anxiety in youth with ASD. Participants will learn about a variety of strategies and resources that can be […]

10 Steps to Preventing Problem Behaviors

1. Apply Your Knowledge of the Child 2. Use the Problem-Solving Approach to Behavior Change 3. Teach Functional Communication 4. Adapt the Environment 5. Incorporate Visual Cues 6. Develop Predictable Routines 7. Adapt Your Interaction Style 8. Teach Alternative Behaviors 9. Provide Powerful Rewards 10. Catch ‘em Being Good 1. Understanding the Child The first […]

Thinking Developmentally About Signs of ASD

Autism is a developmental disorder, meaning that the child’s pattern of growth across areas of development is uneven, with different skills growing at different rates than each other. For example, you may observe a 2-year-old decoding words in books, but not speaking spontaneously. Some skills even seem to develop in a different sequence than in […]

Sleep-Wake-Related Disorder: How Can It Be Treated

Lifestyle changes often can help relieve acute (short-term) insomnia. These changes might make it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. A type of counseling called cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can help relieve the anxiety linked to chronic (ongoing) insomnia. Anxiety tends to prolong insomnia. Several medicines also can help relieve insomnia and re-establish a regular […]

Sleep-Wake-Related Disorder: What Causes It

Secondary Insomnia Secondary insomnia is the symptom or side effect of another problem. This type of insomnia often is a symptom of an emotional, neurological, or other medical or sleep disorder. Emotional disorders that can cause insomnia include depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease are examples of neurological disorders that […]

Sleep-Wake-Related Disorder: Signs and Symptoms

The main symptom of insomnia is trouble falling or staying asleep, which leads to lack of sleep. If you have insomnia, you may: Lie awake for a long time before you fall asleep Sleep for only short periods Be awake for much of the night Feel as if you haven’t slept at all Wake up […]

Sleep-Wake-Related Disorder: How Can It Be Treated

Sleep apnea is treated with lifestyle changes, mouthpieces, breathing devices, and surgery. Medicines typically aren’t used to treat the condition. The goals of treating sleep apnea are to: Restore regular breathing during sleep Relieve symptoms such as loud snoring and daytime sleepiness Treatment may improve other medical problems linked to sleep apnea, such as high blood […]

Sleep-Wake-Related Disorder: What Causes It

When you’re awake, throat muscles help keep your airway stiff and open so air can flow into your lungs. When you sleep, these muscles relax, which narrows your throat. Normally, this narrowing doesn’t prevent air from flowing into and out of your lungs. But if you have sleep apnea, your airway can become partially or […]

Sleep-Wake-Related Disorder: Signs and Symptoms

One of the most common signs of obstructive sleep apnea is loud and chronic (ongoing) snoring. Pauses may occur in the snoring. Choking or gasping may follow the pauses. The snoring usually is loudest when you sleep on your back; it might be less noisy when you turn on your side. You might not snore […]