Dr Sarah Blunden

1. Dr. Sarah Blunden (MAPS, BAPsych (Hons), MSocSc, PhD) is a Paediatric Sleep Research Fellow at the Centre for Sleep Research, University of South Australia having undertaken honours, masters and PhD years degrees in this area. Her PhD was awarded in 2003. In that time, she has published 11 papers on paediatric sleep, has presented at many national and international sleep and psychology conferences, has won awards for academic and research excellence and is a recognized expert in her field both nationally and internationally. She has established affiliations and has a publishing record with two American sleep clinics since 2005 (Cinncinatti and Michigan). Sarah’s sleep research interests include, sleep and daytime performance and behaviour , obesity and sleep, restless legs, maternal depression and sleep, objectifying self-reported sleep problems and sleep education and awareness. In addition to her research activities, Sarah heads the University based, “Paediatric Sleep Clinic”. This is an extension of her “Child and Adolescent Sleep Psychology Clinic” established in 2003 out of an obvious need for specialist paediatric sleep services for diagnosing and treating families with children and adolescents who are experiencing sleep problems. This is an area of rapid growth at the moment, particularly with Medicare rebates available for psychological services since November 2006.

• Psychology
• Child development
• Sleep education and awareness

Australiasian Sleep Association - Paediatric special interest group - Insomnia interest group

Australian Psychological Society

International Pediatric Sleep Association

Healthy Development Adelaide (HDA)

Bachelor of Arts Psychology

Honours Psychology

Master of Social Science

PhD

• Children's daytime performance and sleep
• Sleep and obesity in children
• Relationships between behaviour, mood and sleep
• Sleep awareness and education
• Depression and sleep

Blunden SL, Lushington K, Kennedy D, Martin J, Dawson D. (2000) Behaviour and neurocognitive performance in children aged 5-10 years who snore compared to controls. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neurposychology 22(5) 554-568)

Blunden S, Lushington K, Kennedy D. Cognitive and behavioural performance in children with sleep related obstructive breathing disorders. Sleep Medicine Reviews (2001) 5 (6) 447-461

Blunden, S., Lushington, K., Lorenzen, B., Wong, J., Balendran, R., Kennedy, D. (2003). Symptoms of sleep disordered breathing remain largely untreated at the primary heath care level.Sleep and Breathing 7 (4):167-176.

Blunden S, Lorenzen B. (2003). Sleep Disturbance in Children. Australian Doctor: Octobe Issue.

Kennedy J, Blunden S, Hirte C, Parsons D, Martin A, Crowe E, Williams D, Pamula Y, Lushington K.(2004). Disrupted sleep architecture is associated with reduced neurocognitive performance in children who snore. Pediatric Pulmonology, 37:330-337.

Blunden, S., Lushington, K., Lorenzen, B., T Ooi, T., Fung, F., Kennedy, D. (2004). Are sleep problems under-recognised in general practice? Archives of Diseases in Childhood, 89 (8): 708-712.

Blunden SL, Lushington K, Lorenzen, B, Kennedy, D, Martin J. (2005). Neuropsychological and psychosocial function in children with a history of either snoring or disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep. Journal of Pediatrics 146 (6): p. 780-6.

Blunden S. Beebe D (2006)The contribution of intermittent hypoxia, sleep debt and sleep disruption to daytime performance deficits in children: Consideration of respiratory and non-respiratory sleep disorders.Sleep Medicine Reviews, (2006) 10 (2): 109-118

Blunden, S.L., T. Hoban, RD. Chervin. (2006). Sleepiness in children. Sleep Medicine Clinics 1 (1) p. 105 -118.).

Blunden SL. (2006). Chronic Condition Self Management. Australian Diabetes Educator, 9 (1): 25-31.

Blunden SL. (2006). Flinders Model of Chronic Condition Self Management. Australian Diabetes Educator, 9 (2). 16-20.

Dillon J, Blunden SL, Ruzicka D, Guire K, Champine D, Weatherly M, Hodges E, Giordani B, Chervin RD. (2007). DSM-IV diagnoses and obstructive sleep apnea in children before and one year after adenotonsillectomy. American Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (in press).

Blunden SL, Chervin RD. (2007). Sleep problems are associated with poor outcomes in remedial teaching programs. Journal of Paediatric Child Health (November: Epub ahead of print).

Bauer K, Blunden SL. (2007). The accuracy of paediatric subjective sleep reporting: its importance and implications for research. Current Pediatric Reviews (submitted)

Blunden SL. (2007) Sleep – who needs it? The seriously underrecognised impact of sleep disturbance on children, caregivers and communities. Children Australia (submitted).

Blunden SL, Nair D. (2007). An unusual case of rhythmic movement disorders (RMD). Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (submitted).

I am able to provide media comment in the following areas of expertise:

Discipline: Psychology

• Paediatric sleep
• Child development
• Daytime performance in children with sleep problems
• Chilhood obesity and sleep
• Sleep education and awareness