Level 6 Learning Outcomes
Unit 1: The Science of Infant Sleep
From this unit, you will:
- Understand the biological and physiological aspects of infant sleep
- Know why sleep is critical to the physical and mental health of all human beings
- Have a deep understanding of an infant’s circadian rhythm, and the factors which can influence its development
- Know the biological and environmental factors which drive the homeostatic sleep process and analyse the relationship between the nervous system and sleep
- Have an understanding of the key hormones and chemicals which drive infant sleep, why they are important to the overall sleep process and the factors which influence their production
- Understand how to apply the science of sleep to sleep consultancy practice and discuss how the research on biological and physiological aspects of infant sleep can inform and influence the sleep improvement strategies used by sleep consultants
Unit 2: Understanding The Sleep Environment
From this unit, you will:
- Understand the key environmental factors that can influence an infant’s sleep
- Know how to critically evaluate those factors and how they contribute to an infant’s sleep quality
- Know how to evaluate the role light plays in infant sleep and develop a view on the use of light and light-generating devices, considering both scientific evidence and research balanced with other considerations such as psychological impact and practical implementation for caregivers
- Understand how to manage disturbances in a child’s sleep environment
- Be able to setup an infant’s sleep space for optimal sleep conditions, whilst ensuring adherence to safety at all times and managing the practicalities for caregivers
Unit 3: Understanding Newborn Sleep
From this unit, you will:
- Know newborn sleep patterns and know what newborn sleep looks like in the first few weeks from birth
- Understand why newborn sleep is biologically different from that of older babies
- Know about the factors which can influence early newborn sleep development such as reflux, gut health and allergies.
- Be able to create resources for caregivers to educate them on newborn sleep and how to optimise sleep in those initial months
- Be able to develop a support framework to implement practical, realistic and developmentally appropriate strategies for improving sleep in newborn babies
Unit 4: The Principles of Safer Sleep
From this unit, you will:
- Be able to summarise the most up to date safer sleeping guidelines in your country of practice to ensure you are advising clients’ sleep practices in the safest way possible
- Know the differences in safer sleep guidelines in other countries
- Be able to critically analyse research on safer sleep guidelines to enable you to make judgments on how you apply guidance in your own business
- Understand the practical adherence to safer sleep guidelines and how to apply them to clinical work
- Understand and be able to critically evaluate how cultural shifts have influenced safer sleep guidelines over time
Unit 5: Understand Children’s Sleep Needs
From this unit, you will:
- Understand the sleep needs of children across the age of 0-5 years and evaluate research on infant sleep amounts
- Understand how to effectively apply the latest research to support the sleep needs of children
- Understand how to assess when an infant is tired and ready for sleep throughout the day and night
- Evaluate and justify the use (or not) of popular sleep measurement units and the common terms used in the sleep industry
- Know how to create day and night time sleep routines appropriate to the sleep needs and the lifestyle of a family
- See the clinical evidence of patterns of awake periods common at different ages and developmental stages
- Understand how sleep can change during periods of physical and cognitive developmental milestones
- Understand the nuance of sleep for babies born prematurely and for multiples (i.e. twins, triplets)
Unit 6: Understanding The Role Of Nutrition & Night Feeding In Infant Sleep
From this unit, you will:
- Understand how nutrition influences infant sleep, including hormones and sleep cycles
- Be able to analyse foods that can positively and negatively impact sleep
- Understand the gut-sleep connection including the gut-brain axis and digestive discomfort and the relevance to infant sleep
- Be able to evaluate the use of supplements for sleep in children including risk, current guidelines and evidence of effectiveness
- Be able to explain how to use sleep diaries to aid in the recognition of nutritional problems which can impact sleep, including red flags
- Know feeding patterns to optimise infant sleep
- Explain the differences between hunger related waking and habitual waking patterns and timing of meals and snacks to support sleep including identifying hunger-related waking vs habitual
- Be able to evaluate the different night feeding strategies available to ensure the nutritional needs of an infant are met
- Understand how to recognise and refer nutritional problems in infants to the relevant experts
Unit 7: Understanding The Key Infant Sleep Disorders
From this unit, you will:
- Be able to describe the signs and symptoms of a range of common sleep disorders
- Be able to explain when and why identified sleep disorders can occur
- Know how to determine other factors which must be considered when supporting clients with sleep disorders
- Understand how to support clients with sleep including being able to reflect upon your own ability to support a client with a sleep disorder versus a medical requirement
- Be able to identify when referral is required in relation to sleep disorders
Unit 8: Understanding How To Apply Sleep Improvement Strategies
From this unit, you will:
- Understand a range of sleep improvement techniques across the sleep training spectrum
- Be capable of explaining a range of complex sleep scenarios in relation to the biology and physiology of sleep
- Understand the different sleep improvement strategies available and know when some strategies are more appropriate and effective than others to resolve common and complex sleep issues
- Know when to change strategy so you can remain flexible as a sleep consultant
- Be able to explain the role of key infant transitions and developmental milestones in infant sleep, and support families through these transitions and milestones
- Be able to critically evaluate a range of sleep improvement strategies and their use in modern sleep teaching
- Know how how to create appropriate plans to improve infant sleep in different situations
- Be able to reflect on the sleep improvement strategy you used with a client and determine its appropriateness and make adjustments where necessary
Unit 9: Understanding How To Apply Sleep Improvement Strategies In Toddlers
From this unit, you will:
- Understand how to select and apply a range of techniques to support toddler sleep and older children (up to 5 years old)
- Critically evaluate techniques and methods used for toddler and older children (up to 5 years old) sleep improvement strategies and understand when certain strategies will be more appropriate than others
- Understand the use of psychology-driven strategies to further support change in toddlers and older children (up to 5 years old)
- Be able to source and use techniques and methods from other disciplines to further support positive change in sleep for toddlers and older children (up to 5 years old)
- BONUS MODULE: Understanding how potty training can impact sleep (not part of assessment)
- BONUS MODULE: Autism & Anxiety in sleep (not part of assessment)
Unit 10: Understand When & How To Refer A Client & Practice Ethically
From this unit, you will:
- Know what to consider when assessing client suitability alignment with your values and ethos, health considerations and parental considerations
- Be able to evaluate the scope of the sleep consultation role, considering the possibilities and limitations of your own practice.
- Be able to explain when clients should be referred to a different expert as the issue lies outside of sleep and sleep coaching
- Understand when to consider full referral to another expert and when to work with a family alongside an expert from another field
- Understand own limits of ability and when and where to refer if needed
- Understand the role of reflective practice in infant sleep consultancy and how to practice ethically
Our next intake is 1st December with a special bonus included.
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