Risk for sleep-disordered breathing and home and classroom behavior in Hispanic preschoolers

Abstract

Pediatric sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is known to negatively impact home and classroom behavior. Preschool-age Hispanic children from Spanish-speaking households are at elevated risk for poor school readiness. The authors used a multi-informant approach to assess home and preschool behavior among Hispanic children at risk for SDB (n = 67). Higher parent-reported SDB risk and elevated snoring were associated with parent- and teacher-reported problem behaviors and poorer teacher-reported classroom executive function among boys; elevated snoring was associated with internalizing behaviors among girls. Elevated snoring may be associated with problems related to impaired inhibitory self-control, suggesting the need for early intervention in order to improve school readiness among these a priori defined at-risk Hispanic children.