Sleep disturbances among children and adolescents with learning disabilities. Comparative study between students from a mainstream school and a special school in the Valencia Community (Spain)

INTRODUCTION: Sleep disturbances affect daytime behaviour and cognitive functions in children. These disorders make the situation worse in children who already have learning difficulties. The objective of the present study was to study the prevalence of sleep disturbances among children from special schools and carry out a comparative study with children from mainstream schools. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We use the Spanish version of the Paediatric Sleep Questionnaire, which was given out in three special schools of the Valencia Community. Results were compared with a previous study in children from mainstream schools. RESULTS: A significantly higher proportion of children in special schools had insomnia, 32.3 % against 10.5 % in main-stream school, and sleep breathing disorders, 26.8 % against 5.7 % in mainstream schools, and a lower proportion of parasomnias. Among the whole population with learning difficulties, children with cerebral palsy are the most affected. CONCLUSIONS: Our results clearly show that children with learning difficulties have a higher risk of sleep disturbances and these disturbances have repercussions on daily functioning. It is important to rule out sleep disturbances when we see children with learning difficulties.