Sleep Disorders and Fragile X syndrome | webinar, Dr Honey Heussler, Dr Jasneek Chawla, 18 May 2023

This webinar covered: (1) Sleep Disorders in Fragile X syndrome (Dr Honey Heussler) and (2) National Sleep Study to enable early and effective sleep interventions in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.
Firstly - Dr Heussler provided insights into the sleep difficulties that many children with Fragile X syndrome experience. She discussed normal sleep development, sleep cycles, the impact that neurodevelopmental disorders such as Fragile X syndrome have on sleep patterns, and predictors for sleep disorders in children. Dr Heussler presented practical strategies for environmental and behavioural modifications to help achieve good sleep.
In the second part of the webinar Dr Jasneek Chawla spoke about a 3-year multi-centre study to enable early effective sleep interventions to improve functional outcomes and quality of life in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. The study is run through Queensland Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital at Westmead (Sydney), and Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne. Parents of children with Fragile X syndrome are invited to participate in the multiple phases of the study, by way of surveys etc. Overall goal - to develop national guidelines for the diagnosis and management of sleep problems in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
PRESENTERS:
Dr Helen (Honey) Heussler is a paediatric sleep specialist and Medical Director of the Child Development Program at the Children's Health and Queensland Hospital and Health Service in Brisbane. Dr Honey also runs a Fragile X Clinic at the hospital.
Dr Jasneek (Jas) Chawla is a Paediatric Respiratory and Sleep Medicine Physician at the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane and Senior Lecturer with the Medical School, University of Queensland. Dr Chawla is actively involved in clinical research and recently completed her PhD evaluating the impact of sleep interventions on outcomes in children with Down syndrome.
The webinar was co-presented by Fragile X Association of Australia and Fragile X Society of New Zealand. The webinar was hosted and produced by @albaprime