Occupational Therapy’s Role in Addressing Sleep Problems in Children

Sleep is arguably the least clinically visible area of occupation, and yet disordered sleep disproportionately affects diagnostic groups of children commonly treated by occupational therapy practitioners. For example, sleep disorders are present in 10% to 50% of typically developing children; however, 50% to 80% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience disordered sleep (Case-Smith & O'Brien, 2015).