95% of kids with neurodevelopmental disorders struggle with sleep—but there's an OT intervention that gives families an extra hour of sleep per night! In this episode, we discuss an occupational therapy study from Argentina that used telehealth and coaching to transform bedtime battles. This isn't the typical "try melatonin" approach—it's a comprehensive 5-step program addressing everything from parent self-care to zeitgeber (yes - that’s a real term and it’s amazing). Michele breaks down this intensive OT intervention, delivering significant improvements in bedtime resistance, sleep onset, and duration. We're sharing exactly how occupational therapists can implement these strategies and highlight the freely available assessment tools and day-by-day protocols. If you've ever had a parent desperately ask for sleep help, this episode is your new secret weapon.

We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the article too.

Leive, L., Melfi, D., Lipovetzky, J., Cukier, S., Abelenda, J., & Morrison, R. (2024). Program to Support Child Sleep from the Occupational Therapy Perspective during the COVID-19 pandemic. Programa de Acompañamiento del Sueño en la Infancia con Terapia Ocupacional durante la pandemia por COVID-19. Archivos argentinos de pediatria, 122(1), e202303029. https://doi.org/10.5546/aap.2023-03029.eng

KEYWORDS: Occupational therapy; evidence-based practice; OT; Peds OT; pediatric occupational therapy; sleep disorders; sleep intervention; sleep strategies; coaching; telehealth; neurodevelopmental disorders

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Ep. 29 A Sleep Intervention with Dreamy Outcomes