05/25/2023
This has been central to my own learning as a Speech-Language Pathologist, and then educating parents over the last year. The tongue is such an important part of the body, and provides so much information as well as guiding the development of the mouth, brain and core muscles of the body. I love sharing my perspective on the tongue, breathing and sleep, jaw and dental development, and how it all links to speech, language and academic development. Fascinating stuff.
Children who have trouble paying attention, don’t learn well, or have poor impulse control are behaviors commonly associated with ADHD.
Or, are they really signs of lack of sleep?
Whether it’s sleep, or ADHD, for parents and clinicians, the two issues can be hard to separate.
For a start, the most common treatment for ADHD, is to prescribe a stimulant, Ritalin.
ADHD is a disorder that begins in childhood and encompasses symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
These symptoms interfere with functioning at school, at work, and in social situations. ADHD is present in approximately 5% of children, and it is more common in boys.
An estimated 25 to 50% of people with ADHD experience sleep problems, ranging from insomnia to secondary sleep conditions.
Doctors are starting to connect the importance of treating sleep problems and the impact this can have on both ADHD symptoms and quality of life for ADHD patients and their families.
The big issue may be that sleep disorders are likely underdiagnosed in children. Physicians depend on polysomnography that use parameters that are only diagnosed, when obstructive sleep apnea is detected.
That requires an AHI (apnea hypopnea index) to reach a certain threshold, ie. the child has to stop breathing for long enough.
In a functional dental examination, sleep disorders are screened for through a broad set of symptoms and anatomical presentations.
It allows for additional information to identify the risk of airway resistance, hopefully before any sleep condition can reach apnea.
These may include:
• Narrow high palate
• Open mouth posture
• Mouth breathing
• Snoring
• Crooked teeth
• Underbite or overbites
• Teeth grinding
• Bed wetting
• Day time sleepiness
• Dark circles under eyes
If your child has one of these signs, and you suspect it’s affecting their performance at school, they may be suffering from a breathing related sleep disorder.
Does your child show any of these signs?
