Sleep & Insomnia at AACAP Annual Meeting 2026

27 sessions on sleep & insomnia · October 26–31, 2026, Atlanta, GA. Compare sleep & insomnia at other meetings →

Wednesday, October 28

10:30–13:30 · Workshop
Understanding Video Games: A Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist ’ s Call of Duty
Tolga Atilla Ceranoglu · Paul E. Weigle · Clifford Sussman
Introduces child and adolescent psychiatrists to contemporary video game culture and the research on how gaming affects well-being, sleep, aggression and school performance. Covers screening and interventions for problematic gaming and gaming disorder, with case-based discussion.
Child & Adolescent · Digital Psychiatry & AI · Substance Use Disorders

Evaluating the Safety Profiles of Over-the-Counter Melatonin and Trazodone for 180-Day Suicidality Outcomes in Pediatric MDD and Insomnia — Hely Patel et al.
Integrating Objective and Subjective Sleep Measures for Autism Prediction and Phenotyping: Cross-Study Machine Learning Validation — Jinhee Lee et al.
Perceived Stress as a Mechanism Linking Insomnia Severity and Prenatal Depression Symptoms in African American Pregnant Women — Sandra Campos
Longitudinal Associations Between Trauma-Related Nightmares and Posttraumatic Stress in Adolescents — Elizabeth E. Amadasu et al.
Treatment Priorities Among Justice-Involved Youth: Implications for Sleep- and Alcohol-Focused Interventions — Haiyan Liu et al.

10:00–12:00 · Lecture
Circadian Timing and Morning Light Therapy in Tourette’s Disorder
Emily J. Ricketts
Explores circadian timing and morning light therapy as an approach in Tourette's disorder.
Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders · Child & Adolescent
15:00–16:30 · Lecture · Symposium
Sex Differences in Pediatric Autism: A Comprehensive Analysis of Subjective and Objective Sleep Parameters
Toru Ishii
Compares sleep patterns between male and female children with autism using both subjective and objective measures.
Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders · Child & Adolescent
15:00–16:30 · Symposium
Clinical Insights Into Gender Variance, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, and Sleep Architecture in Female Youth and Young Adults With Autism
Hagar Kandel · James T. McCracken · Toru Ishii · Usman Ghumman
Symposium on gender variance, premenstrual dysphoric disorder and sleep in female youth and young adults with autism.
Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders · Child & Adolescent · Perinatal & Women's Mental Health

Infant and Toddler Sleep Measures as Candidate Markers of ASD Liability — Holly C. Baer et al.
Disentangling the Impact of ADHD, Perinatal Depression, and Sleep on Maternal-Infant Attachment — Elyse G. Mark et al.
Sleeping Off Adversity? Adverse-Positive Childhood Experience Profiles, Sleep Health, and Alcohol-Cannabis Co-Use Among Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic — Austin D. Le et al.
Adolescent Cognitive Vulnerability: Associations With Sleep Behaviors and Presleep Arousal — Reut Gruber et al.
Temporal Sequencing of Sleep Diagnoses, Depression, and Suicidal Behavior — Katherine Xing et al.
Sleep Disturbance Predicts Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation Among Psychiatrically Hospitalized Adolescents — Abhishek Reddy et al.

13:30–16:30 · Workshop
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)
Jess P. Shatkin · Anna Ivanenko · Reut Gruber
Hands-on workshop teaching child and adolescent psychiatrists how to apply CBT-I, including its core components such as stimulus control, sleep restriction, sleep hygiene, cognitive therapy and relaxation. Participants practice building treatment plans using a sample case.
Child & Adolescent · Psychotherapy

Wearable-Derived Sleep and Heart Rate Variability Metrics With Anxiety in Pregnant and Postpartum Youth With PTSD — Megan Lean et al.
Sleep as a Potential Therapeutic Target for ADHD Symptomatology and Executive Functioning in Preschool-Aged Children — Nadiyah S. Fisher et al.
Sleep Trajectories in Youth With and Without ADHD: A 12-Month Longitudinal Actigraphy Study — Ali Hobballah et al.

09:30–11:30 · Session · Clinical Perspectives
When Sleep Speaks: What Pediatric Mental Health Providers Need to Know
Anna Ivanenko · Jess P. Shatkin · Reut Gruber · Merrill S. Wise III
Reviews sleep problems in children and adolescents and what pediatric mental health clinicians should know to recognize and address them.
Child & Adolescent
09:30–11:30 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
Parasomnias
Jess P. Shatkin
Talk on parasomnias in young patients, within the symposium 'When Sleep Speaks' for pediatric mental health providers.
Child & Adolescent
09:30–11:30 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
Understanding and Treating Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder in Adolescents
Reut Gruber
Covers recognition and treatment of delayed sleep-wake phase disorder in adolescents.
Child & Adolescent
09:30–11:30 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
Diagnosis and Management of Narcolepsy and Other Central Hypersomnias in Children and Adolescents
Merrill S. Wise III
Child & Adolescent
09:30–11:30 · Lecture · Clinical Perspectives
Psychopharmacological Management of Pediatric Insomnia With Psychiatric Comorbidity
Anna Ivanenko
Discusses medication approaches to insomnia in children and adolescents who also have psychiatric conditions.
Benzodiazepines & Sedatives · Child & Adolescent
10:00–12:00 · Lecture
Treating ADHD as a 24-Hour Disorder: ADHD and Sleep
Margaret D. Weiss
Looks at the relationship between ADHD and sleep and treating ADHD across the full day.
ADHD

Malocclusion, Sleep-Disordered Breathing, and ADHD: Is There a Causal Relationship? — Iliyan Ivanov et al.
Actigraphic Measures of Sleep and Rest Activity Rhythms in Association With Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors in Preadolescent Children — Andrew Tubbs et al.