In this episode of EveryDay ABA, your favorite behaviorists unpack one of the most common and exhausting parenting challenges: getting young kids to sleep, and keeping them asleep! Paola (BCBA), Leslie (RBT), and Brittanny (RBT) use a behavioral lens to break down Sleep Onset Association Disorder, cry-it-out/extinction methods, gentle sleep strategies, and bedtime behavior chains- all grounded in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and backed by science. Whether you’re dealing with midnight wake-ups, bedtime tantrums, or trying to decide between the Ferber method or no-cry approaches, this episode arms you with the behavioral tools you need to create consistent, independent sleep patterns for your child.

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Buy the books!

Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems by Richard Ferber

The No-Cry Sleep Solution Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night by Elizabeth Pantley

The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers by Elizabeth Pantley

The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp

Twelve Hours' Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old by Suzy Giordano

CEU LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this episode, listeners will be able to:

1. Define and identify behavioral features of Sleep Onset Association Disorder in young children and explain its maintenance through reinforcement contingencies.

2. Explain how behavior chains are used to create effective bedtime routines, and describe how disruptions in these chains may interfere with sleep onset and maintenance.

3. Evaluate sleep hygiene strategies from a behavior analytic perspective and recommend individualized environmental and behavioral modifications to support independent sleep in children.

References:

Ferber, R. (2006). Solve your child’s sleep problems (Rev. ed.). Fireside.

Giordano, S., & Abidin, L. (2006). The baby sleep solution: A proven program to teach your baby to sleep twelve hours a night. Perigee.

Karp, H. (2002). The happiest baby on the block: The new way to calm crying and help your newborn baby sleep longer. Bantam.

Mindell, J. A., Kuhn, B., Lewin, D. S., Meltzer, L. J., & Sadeh, A. (2006). Behavioral treatment of bedtime problems and night wakings in infants and young children. Sleep, 29(10), 1263–1276.

Mindell, J. A., & Williamson, A. A. (2018). Benefits of a bedtime routine in young children: Sleep, development, and beyond. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 40, 93–108.

Owens, J. A., & Mindell, J. A. (2011). Pediatric insomnia. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 58(3), 555–569.

Pantley, E. (2002). The no-cry sleep solution: Gentle ways to help your baby sleep through the night. McGraw-Hill.

Sadeh, A., Tikotzky, L., & Scher, A. (2010). Parenting and infant sleep. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 14(2), 89–96.