Twenty-two children with autism spectrum disorders who had not responded to supported behaviour management strategies for severe dysomnias entered a double blind, randomised, controlled crossover trial involving 3 months of placebo versus 3 months of melatonin to a maximum dose of 10 mg. 17 children completed the study. There were no significant differences between sleep variables at baseline. Melatonin significantly improved sleep latency (by an average of 47 min) and total sleep (by an average of 52 min) compared to placebo, but not number of night wakenings. The side effect profile was low and not significantly different between the two arms.

CONTEXT: There is little consistency in the use of instruments for measuring self-reported quality of life (QoL) in young children. OBJECTIVE:To systematically review studies of self-reported QoL in children aged ,12 years with congenital health conditions, and to examine the agreement between self-and proxy-reports.DATA SOURCES: Literature databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, PsychINFO) were systematically searched, reference lists of eligible studies were scanned.

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The KIDSCREEN questionnaire has adequate face and content validity as a measure of QoL in children with gastroschisis and is acceptable to both children and parents.

Background The incidence of mental health problems in children and adolescents in the United Kingdom has significantly increased in recent years, and more people are in contact with mental health services in Greater Manchester than in other parts of the country. Children and young people spend most of their time at school and with teachers. Therefore, schools and other educational settings may be ideal environments in which to identify those experiencing or those at the risk of developing psychological symptoms and provide timely support for children most at risk of mental health or related problems. Objective This study aims to test the feasibility of embedding a low-cost, scalable, and innovative digital mental health intervention in schools in the Greater Manchester area. Methods Two components of a 6-week digital intervention were implemented in a primary school in Greater Manchester: Lexplore, a reading assessment using eye-tracking technology to assess reading ability and detect early atypicality, and Lincus, a digital support and well-being monitoring platform. Results Of the 115 children approached, 34 (29.6%) consented and took part; of these 34 children, all 34 (100%) completed the baseline Lexplore assessment, and 30 (88%) completed the follow-up. In addition, most children were classified by Lincus as regular (≥1 per week) survey users. Overall, the teaching staff and children found both components of the digital intervention engaging, usable, feasible, and acceptable. Despite the widespread enthusiasm and recognition of the potential added value from staff, we met significant implementation barriers. Conclusions This study explored the acceptability and feasibility of a digital mental health intervention for schoolchildren. Further work is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the digital intervention and to understand whether the assessment of reading atypicality using Lexplore can identify those who require additional help and whether they can also be supported by Lincus. This study provides high-quality pilot data and highlights the potential benefits of implementing digital assessment and mental health support tools in a primary school setting.

BACKGROUND Recent work across Greater Manchester reports that schools, teachers, and parents/guardians are increasingly concerned about the mental health and well-being of their children, but lack the resources, skills and time to identify or support those susceptible to poor mental health. Similar concerns have been expressed by parents and teaching staff across the UK. OBJECTIVE To embed a low cost, scalable and innovative digital mental health intervention in schools in the Greater Manchester area, in order to identify and provide timely support for children most at risk of developing mental health or related problems. METHODS Two components of a digital intervention: 1) Lexplore, a reading assessment using eye-tracking technology to assess reading ability; and 2) Lincus, a digital support and monitoring wellbeing platform were implemented in a primary school in Greater Manchester. RESULTS Overall, teaching staff and children found both components of the digital intervention engaging, usable, feasible and acceptable. However, despite widespread enthusiasm and recognition of the potential added-value from Headteachers during the consultation phases of the project, we met significant implementation barriers. CONCLUSIONS This study explored the acceptability and feasibility of a digital mental health intervention for schoolchildren. Further work is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the digital intervention and to understand whether assessing reading atypicality using Lexplore can identify those who require additional help and can also be supported by Lincus. This study provides high-quality pilot data and highlights the potential benefits of implementing digital assessment and mental health support tools within a primary school setting.

Background There is little consistency in the use of instruments for measuring self-reported quality of life (QoL) in children aged <12 years. Objective To study self-reported QoL in children aged <12 years with a chronic perinatal condition, and to examine the agreement between self- and proxy-reports for these children. Methods We used systematic review methods for literature searches (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, PsychINFO), development of the data extraction protocol and the review process. We included studies published in English between January 1989 and June 2013 which used validated instruments to assess self-reported QoL in children aged <12 years with a distinct chronic health condition of perinatal origin. Results From 403 full-text papers assessed for eligibility, 50 studies underwent detailed review and 37 were included in a narrative synthesis. Children’s self-reported QoL was assessed using a variety of generic and/or condition-specific instruments, with the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory being the most frequently used (25%, nine studies). Irrespective of the condition or the instrument used, children often reported QoL similar to the reference population, except for lower scores in the physical functioning/health domain. There were differences between younger and older age groups by QoL domain. The child’s perception of QoL differed from that of their parents, in particular for subjective domains, such as emotional functioning, and these differences were age-related. Conclusions The reviewed studies demonstrated that, even for younger children, both child and parent perspectives are essential to understand the impact of a condition on a child’s QoL.

Felix DaviesandJenni Jardinefrom Selby & York Primary Care Trust report the findings of a national survey