When a Kid’s Bad Behavior Is Actually Hidden Sleep Disorder

Academic struggles, emotional outbursts, and a sudden inability to focus usually send pediatricians hunting for a behavioral diagnosis.But Binal Kancherla, MD, medical director at the Children’s Sleep Center at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, sees another possibility: the child may have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)“It is common to see children referred for behavioral or academic concerns who ultimately have significant sleep-disordered breathing,” said Kancherla, chair of the Section on Pediatric Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine at the American Academy of Pediatrics.For years, OSA has been recognized primarily as a disorder of snoring, disrupted sleep, and airway obstruction.But research suggests the effects of repeated nighttime oxygen drops and fragmented sleep in children may extend…

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