Childhood sleep disorders workshop. Tools for their interpretation by the Primary Care Paediatrician

Sleep disorders in children and adolescents are very common and are often a cause of distress and concern for both the child and the family. The Primary Care Paediatrician is the most competent professional to detect, give advice, in many instances to treat, and always to evaluate the consequences of these disorders. For this purpose it is necessary to know the basic tools to detect and treat these problems, often under diagnosed in paediatric practice. It is important to be aware of screening tests and questionnaires to detect and evaluate the most frequent sleep disorders, and particularly sleep disordered breathing. A sleep diary is a simple tool for providing useful information about sleep problems in toddlers, children and adolescents.

The aim of this workshop is to become aware of the importance of sleep disorders in childhood and at the same time, introduce and manage these basic tools (screening tests, questionnaires and sleep diary) in the paediatric clinic, especially in the Paediatric Health Program.