Edith Cowan University occupational therapist Sue McCabe.
Camera IconEdith Cowan University occupational therapist Sue McCabe. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Grant allows ECU sleep study to continue

Julian WrightEastern Reporter

A GRANT for more than $8000 has ensured the continuance of an ECU sleep study.

The money, from the Honda Foundation, will provide essential software that measures heart rate variability to better understand the sleep behaviours of children with serious neurological conditions.

ECU occupational therapist Sue McCabe said 2017 marked the third year for the study.

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“(The funding) means that I can continue my clinical trial in 2017 from April until September, with additional participants, to make this a robust study,” she said.

“We had 10 participants in 2016, and plan to recruit a further 12 participants this year; they are children or young people with cerebral palsy and difficulties with sleep, due to having trouble regulating their body temperature.

“Each trial is over a period of eight weeks per participant (and) we do this during school weeks to have more consistent daily routines and during terms 2 and 3 to avoid possible extreme heat of terms 1 and 4.”

Ms McCabe said the research results would need to be analysed, but could be lead to further research with people with diabetes, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and autism.

Honda Foundation Chairman Stephen Collins he was delighted to see the donation fund a valuable study that would ultimately improve the quality of life for those who have sleeping complications.