Sleep Consultant Course of Study

Course name: Introduction to Sleep Disorders

Course code: IMS437

Course description

This course provides an overview of common sleep disorders that may disrupt a child’s sleep, including bad dreams, nightmares, night terrors, sleep talking, sleepwalking, bed-wetting, and snoring. 

The information provided in this course is primarily for educational purposes, ensuring that sleep consultants are well-informed about these sleep disorders. However, it is not the role of sleep consultants to diagnose, treat, or directly consult with parents regarding these issues.

Child sleep consultants must strictly adhere to their professional boundaries, which involve focusing on sleep-related concerns within their scope of practice. When encountering any of the aforementioned sleep disorders, the child sleep consultant's sole responsibility is to refer parents to their child's pediatrician.

Course objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify common sleep disorders in children, including nightmares, night terrors, sleep talking, sleepwalking, bed-wetting, and snoring.
• Understand the educational purpose of learning about these sleep disorders.
• Provide parents with guidance on behavioral sleep-related issues while directing medical concerns to qualified healthcare providers.

Course content:

• Bad dreams and nightmares
• Night terrors
• Sleep talking
• Sleepwalking
• Bed-wetting
• Snoring

Assessment: 

• 4 practice quizzes (not graded)
• 1 final test

Grading System:

Pass/Fail based on performance in the final test.

Prerequisites:

Students must have completed the following courses before enrolling in this course:

• IMS511 Science of Sleep
• IMS101 Introduction to Pediatric Sleep Consulting
• IMS421 Safe Infant Sleep
• IMS425 Infant Sleep from Birth to 4 Months
• IMS111 Infant Sleep 5-12 Months
• IMS739 Solving Toddler and Preschooler Sleep Problems

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