Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder in children with autism

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Updated: Oct 1, 2026

Eye Tracking Young Children with Autism
09:03

Eye Tracking Young Children with Autism

Published on: March 27, 2012

Shanti S Thirumalai1, Richard A Shubin, Ricki Robinson

  • 1Department of Neurology, Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA. sthirumalai@chla.usc.edu

Journal of Child Neurology
|May 25, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Five children with autism were diagnosed with REM sleep behavior disorder, a condition usually seen in older men. This finding may change how we understand autism and its treatments.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition.
  • Sleep disturbances, including nocturnal awakenings, are common in children with autism.
  • Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is typically associated with neurodegenerative diseases in elderly males.

Observation:

  • Nocturnal polysomnography was conducted on 11 children diagnosed with autism and exhibiting sleep disruption.
  • The study aimed to investigate potential underlying sleep disorders contributing to symptoms in autistic children.

Findings:

  • Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) was identified in 5 out of the 11 autistic children studied.
  • This represents a significant prevalence of RBD in this pediatric autism cohort.
  • The presence of RBD in children with autism was unexpected given its typical demographic association.

Implications:

  • The identification of RBD in autistic children suggests potential shared neurochemical or neurophysiologic pathways between autism and RBD.
  • This finding could significantly advance the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of autism spectrum disorder.
  • Accurate diagnosis of RBD in autistic children allows for targeted treatment with medications like clonazepam, improving sleep consolidation and daytime functioning.

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