A combined behavioral/pharmacological treatment of sleep-wake schedule disorder in Angelman syndrome.

ABSTRACT

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a genetic disorder associated with a deletion on chromosome 15. Behavior problems among children with AS include sleep difficulties. Data are presented on the successful treatment of a sleep-wake schedule disorder (SWSD) in a 9-year-old boy with AS. The treatment program included behavioral and pharmacological components. During baseline, the child slept a mean of 1.9 hours per night and 1.3 hours during the day; night sleep was increased to a mean of 8.3 hours and day sleep was reduced to a mean of .08 hours after introduction of the full-treatment program. Medication was discontinued subsequently, and the child slept a mean of 7.8 hours during the night and .07 hours during the day. At 45-day follow-up, night sleep was maintained at 7.1 hours and day sleep remained stable at .29 hours. This is the first known report of an effective treatment of a SWSD in a child with AS.