Systematic Review of Telehealth Interventions for the Treatment of Sleep Problems in Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Issues with sleep onset and maintenance are common among many children and adolescents with developmental disabilities. A lack of experienced practitioners, financial cost, and practical issues associated with providing parent coaching in the family home during evenings pose a number of barriers to successful sleep intervention. Telehealth interventions represent a potential approach for facilitation of the delivery of treatments for sleep problems in children and adolescents that may alleviate some of the challenges of delivering services equitably and in a timely manner. In the present review, we systematically searched for, summarized, and appraised the quality of ten studies that have used telehealth interventions for the treatment of sleep problems in children and adolescents. The majority of studies used Webbased platforms to deliver content as part of a multi-component intervention. For children, interventions were parent mediated; however, adolescents engaged directly in the intervention process, which typically included cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. Each of the studies reported positive overall treatment effects though only five of the studies met criteria that reflected strong methodological rigor, thus limiting the strength of the conclusions. This review identifies current telehealth practices and areas for future research.

Applied behavior analysis measurement, assessment, and treatment of sleep and sleep‐related problems

“…Having extended contact between care providers and service professionals can support maintenance through follow-up assessment and additional treatment support and recommendations. Finally, telehealth and teleconsultation models can contribute to desirable maintenance outcomes (Lichtblau et al, 2018;Tsami et al, 2019) and are being delivered with greater regularity in ABA sleep measurement, assessment, and treatment research (McLay et al, 2020).…”

The effects of transition to technician‐delivered telehealth ABA treatment during the COVID‐19 crisis: A preliminary analysis

“…The most common version of telehealth services represented in the published literature is a caregiver telehealth coaching model, which involves a clinician providing training via synchronous videoconferencing to another person (e.g., parent, teacher, technician) at a distant site to deliver services in‐person to the client (Council of Autism Service Providers [CASP], 2020a; Lerman et al, 2020). This model has been used for functional behavior assessments (Barretto et al, 2006; Benson et al, 2018; Boisvert et al, 2010), preference assessments (Higgins et al, 2017), behavior reduction procedures (Hall et al, 2020; Lindgren et al, 2016; Monlux et al, 2019; Suess et al, 2016; Suess et al, 2020; Unholz‐Bowden et al, 2020; Wacker et al, 2013a; Wacker et al, 2013b), and interventions to build language, social, and daily living skills (Akemoglu et al, 2020; Barkaia et al, 2017; Ferguson et al, 2019; Ingersoll et al, 2016; McLay et al, 2020; Wainer & Ingersoll, 2015). A telehealth model commonly applied in clinical settings is a partial in‐person telehealth model whereby ABA services are rendered in‐person by a trained technician, with clinical oversight provided by a behavior analyst via real‐time, synchronous videoconference modality (CASP, 2020b).…”

Community Mental Health Care Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Practical Strategies for Improving Care for People with Serious Mental Illness

“…Skills practice can be enhanced through virtual communities, websites, and-as detailed below-mobile health applications. As a transdiagnostic and translational model, CBT interventions for a variety of presenting problems can be delivered through telepsychiatry (McLay et al 2020). CBT and DBT skills training can help clients sustain gains and experience relief from emergent symptoms (Matsumoto et al 2018;Stubbings et al 2013).…”