Does Remote Learning Lead to Sleep Challenges
A recent study offers a look into the problems that have resulted from distance learning
A recently published study from the University of Michigan showed that elementary school-aged children enrolled in remote learning experienced greater behavioral, learning-related, and sleep difficulties compared with children receiving in-person instruction. The headline grabbed my attention as a SPED teacher.
Diving into the study, I found that part about sleep challenges to be impactful. After all, most autistic people already have difficulty with sleep. Do we really need that problem to be accelerated by our schooling situations?
Here’s what the authors said,
Sleep issues were also common among the remote learning population. Kids ages five to 10 who attended virtual school were falling asleep later and were more likely to co- sleep with parents than those attending classes in person.
Compared to before the pandemic, about a third of parents said their child took longer to fall asleep, about a seventh reported more overnight awakenings, and more than a fifth said their child had more nightmares.
Among potential explanations: Greater anxiety and stress, increased screen time and exposure to certain types of media exposure or possibly increased family conflicts.
"We can't say for certain why these sleep disruptions are more prevalent among kids who attended remote school. There are several possible factors at play," Levitt said.
"Providers should consider tailoring interventions for families who would benefit from a sleep hygiene reset. We know disrupted and poor sleep can affect all areas of health, including mood, behavior and both physical and developmental growth as well as academic performance."
Here’s the study’s information. You can find it here:
Kimberley J. Levitt, Tiffany Munzer, Chioma Torres, Alexandria Schaller, Harlan McCaffery, Jenny S. Radesky. Remote and Hybrid Schooling During COVID-19: Associations with Child Behavior and Sleep. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 2022; 43 (5): e288 DOI: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000001085
Here’s a thought … perhaps this study is a clue to why there are more than 80,000 studies returned by Google Scholar when searching “sleep deprivation and learning deficits.” Perhaps this shift to device-based learning has so disrupted our sleep, that we’re suffering as a result. Just a thought. What do you think? BTW, it’s currently 02:30, and I’ve been up for an hour after sleeping for about 4.5 hours … and I can’t sleep … after being on-line all week attending badly produced professional development events …. Hmmm….
— December 16, 2023 Note —
Some of the materials herein have made it into my book, No Place for Autism? It was released in February 2023 from Lived Places Publishing and is available at Amazon and other major book retailers worldwide.