Sleep Kits Help Foster Children Manage Effects of Trauma
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A stuffed animal, aromatherapy, a night-light. A kit containing these and other items can help children in foster care who have experienced trauma sleep more soundly, a critical step in helping them cope with their emotional distress. In a new study, researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) reported that sleep kits specially tailored to foster children appeared to be helpful in most cases. The kits can be distributed by pediatricians in the office or clinic setting, they added.
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@yanara Children who have experienced trauma can have issues with behavior, it can impact their school, and they have difficulties sleeping. The version for teenagers contained a sound machine, aromatherapy spray, and a sleep mask. The kits for younger children contained matching stuffed toys to share with someone they felt connected to, and a rechargeable night-light. All kits included written materials about sleep hygiene, a journal, and directions for downloading a free age-appropriate relaxation app for belly breathing or a PTSD Coach app from the US Department of Veterans Affairs to manage symptoms of trauma.