On-Demand Webinars

“Sleep and the ADHD Brain: Why It’s Critical and How to Get More” [Video Replay & Podcast #239]

In this hour long webinar on-demand, learn how to identify and resolve ADHD-related sleep problems, with Joel Nigg, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Super, M.D.

Joel Nigg, Ph.D.
ADHD Expert: Joel Nigg, Ph.D., Elizabeth Super, M.D. Verified Updated on April 24, 2023
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Episode Description

Sleep problems are highly correlated with ADHD, but there remains confusion about why they overlap and the best practices to address them in children. What’s more, professionals often neglect to consider sleep problems when assessing a child or adult for ADHD, and parents too often overlook the vital role that sleep plays in healthy attention and brain development.

We know that children with ADHD are at high risk for secondary sleep problems or behavioral problems when going to bed and waking up. Less is known about the true incidence of primary or biologically driven sleep problems in patients with ADHD. What we do know is that concerns over sleep are very different in teens than in pre-adolescent children — and different again in adults. The good news is, sleep challenges correctly identified at any stage of life, are usually resolved pretty quickly.

In this webinar, you will learn:

  • The importance of sleep for brain development and learning in children, teens, and adults
  • Optimal sleep amounts associated with different developmental stages
  • Common behaviorally related sleep problems in children and adolescents with ADHD, including the role of technology
  • Simple behavioral guidelines for limiting sleep problems and key tips for addressing sleep-related problems
  • The unique sleep challenges of adolescents and their unique medical and behavioral  treatment considerations
  • How to decide when it’s time for a full evaluation for a possible primary sleep disorder
  • Pros and cons of medication and behavioral treatments for sleep-related conditions in kids with ADHD

Watch the Video Replay

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Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

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This ADHD Experts webinar was first broadcast live on November 28, 2018.

Meet the Expert Speakers:

Joel Nigg, Ph.D., is a professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience and Director of the Division of Psychology at Oregon Health & Science University. He is a leading researcher in the field of ADHD and the author of over 200 scientific papers. He is the author of a recent book for parents that addresses lifestyle and environment approaches to ADHD, Getting Ahead of ADHD: What Next Generation Science Says about Treatments That Work—And How You can Make them Work for Your Child (New York, Guilford Press, 2017).

Dr. Super is an Associate Professor in the Division of Pediatric Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University. She has practiced as a board certified sleep medicine specialist since 2009, and enjoys helping children and families get better sleep.

Webinar Sponsor


The sponsor of this week’s ADDitude webinar is….

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