with Jan Jenner, founder of Hunrosa
A good night’s sleep is the secret to a happy, healthy family. For parents of children with special needs, getting those precious hours of rest can feel like an elusive dream. The team at Hunrosa, the NHS provider, were aware that there was conflicting and inaccurate advice and information for parents and carers about sleep to help their children and young people. With support from the National Association of Special Schools, educators, health professionals, and parents, they’ve created the Sleep Wise app to help children with SEND improve their sleep. It’s even been found to work well for typically developing children too.
The app offers personalised guidance and evidence-based strategies. Jan Jenner, founder of Hunrosa has written for us about it
Quality sleep is essential — we have an app for that, by Jan Jenner, founder of Hunrosa
“Quality sleep is essential for everyone, but it holds particular significance for individuals with special educational needs, who often face unique challenges that can disrupt their sleep patterns. By making sleep the best it can be, young people can have a better chance to achieve their potential. And of course, help their wider family to sleep better”. Jan Jenner
Personalised Sleep Plans
One of the primary benefits of the Sleep Wise App is its ability to provide sleep plans tailored to the specific needs of each user. This approach ensures that the recommendations are relevant and effective, leading to more meaningful improvements in sleep quality. It offers access to the latest research on sleep, screen time, exposure to daylight and related topics to help users stay informed.
Strategies You Can Trust
Children can have difficulties falling asleep, waking in the night, or early morning waking. The app can set reminders when you have decided to follow a strategy for a number of days. Often strategies have to be attempted for at least two weeks to either experience the change or embed it. Sometimes what you’ve tried previously can work well as children change and develop.
The app incorporates strategies that have been proven to work for individuals with SEND, including those with autism and ADHD. For example, the app may suggest a consistent bedtime routine, using visual schedules, or implementing relaxation techniques. The app provides tips and strategies for creating a sleep-friendly environment and managing bedtime behaviours. Some medical conditions such as sleep apnoea and restless legs are more common in children with additional needs, and the app gives information about these conditions and when and where to reach out for further help. The app isn’t just guessing what might work; it’s using proven methods to improve sleep for children with special needs.
Easy and Accessible
The interface is intuitive and designed with simplicity in mind, with straightforward instructions. There is a diary feature or – if you already know the amount of sleep the young person gets, then you can input this to gain specific advice.
Support for Schools and Health Professionals
Caregivers play a vital role in managing the sleep of individuals with special needs. Additionally, the app can be shared with healthcare providers, or a child’s school enabling more informed discussions about sleep health and how it relates to day-to-day activity. Parents, caregivers, and professionals can collaborate by sharing sleep data and strategies, fostering a holistic approach to a child’s sleep. As a parent you are equipped with the tools to be the ultimate sleep champion for your child.
Addressing Sensory Issues
Many individuals with special needs experience sensory sensitivities that can impact their sleep. The Sleep Wise App offers specific strategies for reducing sensory overload, and achieve a just right level of calm and alert, ready for sleep. For example, the app might recommend using the right level of light, white noise machines to mask disruptive sounds, or sensory activities prior to bed. By addressing sensory sensitivities, the app helps create a more conducive sleep environment, making it easier for individuals with special needs to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Enhancing Overall Well-being
When your child sleeps better, everything else gets better too. Improved sleep can lead to better moods, fewer meltdowns, sharper focus, and even better health Improving sleep quality has a profound impact on overall well-being, particularly for individuals with special needs. Better sleep can lead to improvements in mood, behaviour, cognitive function, and physical health. For example, children with autism who get adequate sleep are often better able to regulate their emotions and engage in learning activities. Some may experience reduced anxiety as well.
Further tips for sleep
- Keep routine as regular as possible
- Set a wake time and keep this the same across 7 days
- If the child has a lie-in, no longer than 2 hours
- Have a calming bedtime routine with plenty of sensory calm
- Notice and label tiredness in the run up to bed for those with interoception differences
- Provide some nonverbal cues such as dimming lights and closing curtains
- If screen time promotes calm, use this to your advantage in the run up to bed with calming content. Make sure its switched off 30 minutes before bed if not before. You can try different timings
- A TV screen across a room will have less impact than a phone or tablet near the face
- Don’t set up a bedtime routine you can’t replicate in the night if your child wakes
- A child’s body temperature from their sleep environment can be impactful on sleep
- Make changes gradually, involving your child so that they feel in control
- Keep things positive for both you and your child as changing a sleep pattern can be tough. Find something rewarding and fun to celebrate successes
The Sleep Wise app is available on the app stores on a 7 day free trial. For parent/carers and professionals. The data is not harvested and stays on your device. It is anonymous. Contact Hunrosa for further information info@hunrosa.co.uk
Free NHS advice cards are also available on their website
Also read:
- Scrapping the SEND Tribunal would cover up injustice and no parent of a disabled child will ever support it
- Six sleep tips for your child with special needs
- 5 Top Tips tips to support mental health in neurodivergent young people this summer*
- What will a Bill for Children’s Wellbeing do for our children with SEND?
- SNJ’s 7-point open letter to Bridget Phillipson, new Secretary of State for Education
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