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I am a mother of a 7 year old with sleep apnea looking for literature/research that discusses the possibilities that behavioral/attentional issues may worsen with the use of a CPAP. I have had the opportunity to help other families identify sleep apnea in their children, get them diagnosed and begin to use a CPAP. Some of the feedback I have heard (which has also occurred with our son) is that their child's hyperactivity has increased quite a bit. It's difficult to find a lot of information on pediatric sleep apnea and my concern is that we don't quite understand all there is to know about the neurological processes that were affected (in their developmental phases) when their sleep apnea was untreated. My interest would be to have a study that looks beyond the behavioral "symptoms" we typically see in children with sleep apnea and begin to understand more deeply how the brain will relearn some of those initial neurological processes connected to executive skills (I.e. frustration tolerance, problem solving, attention span, etc.) that are so important to manifest in early years. We have definitely stuck with his CPAP but struggle with new issues. One consideration we have looked into is a type of treatment called nuerobiofeedback. For those who don't know what this is--its like exercise for the brain to work and strengthen those areas that don't seem to be working well. I would be curios if anyone else has had this experience with their child--learn about (or encourage) research on these topics and continue to address additional treatment options if the CPAP doesn't improve all aspects of a child's well being.
Thanks Jonna! It's been interesting for my husband. He was initially diagnosed at forty-something , but as he has gone through the diagnostic process with our son he has began to remember his trouble breathing as a child himself. Of course it wasn't even considered in his childhood. Glad we are making progress, but I feel we have a ways to go. :-)
Hi, my name is Angela and both my husband and 7 year old child have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. My son, Gavin, has been using a CPAP for one year and has done an awesome job adjusting to his mask. Learning of Gavin's diagnosis was a tremendous relief for us because he was having a great deal of mood and behavioral issues. These have been resolved to some success but other concerns have popped up! We carry some guilt in not having him diagnosed earlier, but it never occurred to us that sleep apnea impacted children. We certainly know differently now! We have worked hard to get the word out to get other families. I would love to connect with other parents who have children with sleep apnea. Much of our life is centered around managing his apneas, changing masks, problem solving pressure issues, securing compliance around the use of his CPAP (easier said then done at times!) and always wondering and worrying if the resulting behavioral and mood disturbances are connected to sleep apnea or something else. Exhausting at times! 😊. Aside from my whining--I am so proud of my son. He has shown so much courage through this process! He has become a bit of a spokesman on this topic!
