Abstract
The field of sleep disorders (SD) medicine crosses the boundaries of many medical specialties and disciplines. This paper aims to highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to the assessment and treatment of SD in children, with particular reference to sleep-disordered breathing (SDB).The link between SDB and other SD (e.g. various parasomnias, sleep-related anxiety) illustrates the need for a holistic approach to assessment since these co-existing SD can be the most overt symptoms. Further, different approaches to treatment of the various SD are likely to be called for.Multidisciplinary care becomes particularly pertinent when dealing with clinical groups of children in which an increased prevalence of SD, including SDB, have been noted. Such groups include children with intellectual disabilities and those with neurological or psychiatric conditions. The nature of their basic condition may make it likely that SD will be overlooked with the daytime consequences of the nocturnal disturbance (e.g. cognitive/behavioural problems) misattributed to the underlying condition.Conclusion: An ideal national service would include a limited number of specialised sleep centres where a broad and multidisciplinary approach to the recognition, assessment and treatment of children's SD was possible.
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