The aim of intervention

Occupational therapy intervention could include:

• Providing information from our knowledge base on normal sleep development, sleep cues and routines; and the development of self- regulation.
• Highlighting sleep routines and developing resources to support consistency with this within the home and hospital environment (Link).
• Advocating for sleep protection within the hospital environment
• Providing parents with resources and links to useful websites.
• Encouraging parents to trust their intuition in their approach to their babies sleep in the context of baby’s abilities and needs and the wider family.
• Helping parents to understand potential links between sleep behaviour and the infant’s sensory preferences. For example: providing appropriate suggestions for self-calming/regulation (such as use of swaddling, movement, white noise).
• Directing the family to appropriate local services if sleep issues have become too big.   Depending on eligibility criteria, some families may be eligible to access the following services. Be sure you are aware of the approaches they use before referring and that this is appropriate for the family’s needs before referring.
  • The Ellen Barron Family Centre
  • Child Health centres
  • Future Families program (Northside Brisbane only)
  • CYMHS (Child and Youth Mental Health Services)
• Reinforcement of safe sleep principals and providing links to websites that provide resources for sleep.