Emerging Subspecialties in Neurology: Sleep medicine fellowship after child neurology residency.

Abstract

Pediatric sleep medicine is a multidisciplinary field specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of sleep disorders in childhood. Child neurology residency training provides highly desired skills keenly applicable for a prospective sleep medicine fellowship applicant. A fundamental neurophysiology background helps foster an advanced proficiency in the scoring and interpretation of overnight polysomnography and multiple sleep latency tests (MSLTs). Attuned skills in differentiating complex paroxysmal movements are key to distinguishing parasomnias from nocturnal seizures. The clinical evaluation for developmental delay is augmented by learning and applying the normative developmental milestones of sleep in evaluating the sleepy, or sleepless, child. Herein the authors provide an overview of pediatric sleep medicine as it relates to the child neurology trainee seeking subspecialty fellowship opportunities.