At what point is "overmedication" achieved? The individual who is overmedicated may not possess the ability to advocate for themself. Medicating may provide temporary relief to an overwhelmed caregiver may provide temporary relief, but it does not alleviate pain and symptoms for the caregiver or individual in the long term. This is why respite, mindfulness, resources, social support, and other forms of relief are necessary. 

It raises the question, how many of our children with IDD are overmedicated?

Who does overmedicating help, the individual, the caregiver, or big pharma?

Often times, children with disruptive behaviors are overmedicated in attempts to control their symptoms and relieve caregivers. While some of these medications may offer temporary relief, there may be long term implications on sleep while also impacting daytime symptoms.

Cedarville University

Up to 80% of children with IDD experience sleep disturbances. These disturbances can aggravate their developmental delays, disruptive behaviors, and mental health problems. Some of these disorders are more easily detectable than others. 

Sleep Disturbances in Indivudals with IDD

Silvestri, R., & Ipsiroglu, O. S. (2022). Behavioral sleep medicine-The need for harmonization of clinical best practice outcome measures in children and adolescents with intellectual or developmental disabilities and restless sleep. Frontiers in psychiatry, 13, 1003019. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1003019

Behavioral sleep medicine—The need for harmonization of clinical best practice outcome measures in children and adolescents with intellectual or developmental disabilities and restless sleep

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