Designing and Implementing Comprehensive Sleep Plans

Abstract: This Continuing Education event aims to equip BCBAs with the tools necessary to create meaningful and age-appropriate sleep goals with families, design ethical and effective sleep programs that will not stimulate challenging behaviors, and promote sustainable systems that will continue to be effective when sleep is compromised in the future. With as many as 50% of children experiencing sleep problems at some point during childhood (Center for Disease Control, 2022) and up to 80% of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder experiencing sleep problems (e.g., Furfaro, 2020 and Reynolds, 2019), many Board Certified Behavior Analysts find themselves treating behavioral sleep problems within the scope of Applied Behavior Analysis programming. However, Behavior Analysts do not receive training in the variables impacting healthy sleep such as average sleep needs by age, setting events which delay sleep onset and manipulate the reinforcing value of sleep, or sleep dependencies which contribute to pervasive night awakenings. In the absence of formal training on sleep, sleep-related variables, and comprehensive sleep plan development during behavior analytical coursework, program barriers may arise. This event will provide critical context BCBAs will need to consider (backed by peer reviewed, proven sleep research) to inform the sleep interventions they are proposing, prior to developing any sleep plans.

Learning Objectives:

1) Identify your scope of competence when programming for sleep changes

2) Classify contextually relevant variables impacting the reinforcing value of sleep

3) Design a comprehensive sleep plan that considers age, development, behavior profiles, family

4) Understand common barriers to implementation and learn strategies for working within these

barriers to achieve meaningful outcomes.