PARENTHOOD

by David W. Proefrock, PhD

Your 8 year-old daughter has recently been falling asleep in school. Her teacher reports that she will usually nod off once or twice a day. You have already made sure she is getting enough sleep at night. What do you do?

A. Make her go to bed earlier even though she seems to be getting enough sleep now.

B. Take her to her pediatrician for a physical exam. Make sure the doctor knows what has been happening at school.

C. She may just be bored at school. Ask her teacher to give her more challenging work.

D. Have the teacher report to you each day, and take away some of your daughter’s privileges if she falls asleep at school.

If you answered:

A. If you have already monitored the situation and she is getting good sleep, it is unlikely that this will be the solution.

B. This is the best response. Falling asleep during the day when you are getting appropriate sleep at night could be a symptom of several disorders that would need to be addressed.

C. It is very unlikely that this would be the case. Not only is lack of challenge in school far less common than is thought, but bored children are more likely to get in trouble than to fall asleep.

D. Punishment is not going to help this situation. She is not misbehaving, she is falling asleep. That is almost the opposite. She needs to be seen by her doctor.

Many symptoms of disease are not immediately obvious as is a fever, a cough, or a rash. However, they are just as significant and potentially serious and need to be addressed.

Dr. Proefrock is a retired local clinical and forensic child psychologist.