| Do you know a child with sleep problems? Constantly | | | | in children is because they do not understand how to |
| moving, twitching legs that forbid this child to get | | | | describe the symptoms. That is the important part of |
| quality sleep? Is this child also inclined to have | | | | the parent to be a translator as such. |
| behavior and academic problems, irritability, and | | | | Here are a few other things that you as the parent |
| hyperactivity due to daytime sleepiness? | | | | or teacher can do to help speed the diagnosis along: |
| If this child also has tingling, itching, burning, and | | | | 1. Be descriptive of the symptoms or feelings. Make |
| creepy feelings with a continuous urge to move legs | | | | suggestions to your child if the feeling is like this or |
| when resting, it could be Restless Leg Syndrome. | | | | like that. Write down the type of feeling, when it |
| Tossing and turning after they finally go to sleep is | | | | most often occurs, and what helped it go away. |
| another good indicator. | | | | (massage, walking, etc.) |
| It may very well be Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). | | | | 2. Journal the child's food and drinks. There may be a |
| Yes, children as young as 2 years old have recently | | | | trigger in what, how much, and when food and drinks |
| been diagnosed with this annoying, sleep robbing | | | | are consumed. |
| disease. Also associated with Periodic Limb Movement | | | | 3. Put the child on a proper sleep routine. Same |
| Disorder (PLMD), the diagnosis and treatment in | | | | schedule of going to be every night. |
| children has seen relatively delayed. Acceptance has | | | | 4. If you can, put a camcorder in the child's room to |
| been very slow due to the need for substantial | | | | record the quality of sleep the child receives. |
| research effort needed to evaluate. | | | | 5. Heating pads may reduce the uncomfortable |
| Prior to any thought of children actually having this | | | | feelings the child is having. |
| condition, it was a common practice to label a child | | | | The diagnosis is half the battle when you have a child |
| with those above symptoms as having Attention | | | | with sleep problems. What to do for restless leg |
| Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD). A drug was | | | | syndrome is the other half. RLS may be caused by |
| commonly prescribed and the side effects were | | | | an underlying condition which your doctor will also |
| considered better than the symptoms of ADHD. But | | | | have to check for. Low iron in the brain may also be |
| really, is this any way for a child to live? Kids have to | | | | the culprit. Your pediatrician can run the proper tests |
| be kids! | | | | to determine these. A sleep study may need to be |
| With further study into other symptoms children | | | | ordered by your pediatrician in making the correct |
| would show such as twitching legs, trouble falling to | | | | diagnosis. |
| sleep, and the number of leg movements the child | | | | It is still possible that a child with RLS may also have |
| would have per hour, it was found that children can | | | | some ADHD. This is also possible for a child with |
| have RLS. There is even a greater possibility of | | | | ADHD to have some RLS. As confusing as it may |
| children to have RLS if one of their parents has it. | | | | seem, it answers a lot of questions about children |
| One of the reasons that RLS is so hard to diagnose | | | | who have conditions out of the normal. |