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Published on: October 2, 2019
Sleep patterns and sleep disorders in children with autistic spectrum disorders: insights using parent report and
1University of Oxford, Department of Psychiatry, Oxford, UK. lucinda.wiggs@psych.ox.ac.uk
Insights
Sleep disturbances are common in children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs), often linked to behavioral issues. Objective sleep patterns didn't differ, but overall sleep quality was compromised in ASD children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Background:
- Sleep disturbances are frequently reported in children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs).
- Understanding the specific sleep issues and underlying disorders in ASD is crucial for effective intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize sleep disturbance profiles in children with ASDs.
- To identify sleep disorders contributing to reported sleeplessness in this population.
Main Methods:
- Assessment of 69 children (aged 5-16) with ASD using parental sleep histories, questionnaires, sleep diaries, and actigraphy.
- Objective sleep pattern measurement via actigraphy over five nights.
- Parental reporting of sleep disturbances and sleeplessness.
Main Results:
- Parent-reported sleeplessness affected 64% of children with ASD.
- Commonly identified underlying sleep disorders included behavioral issues, sleep-wake cycle disorders, and anxiety.
- A significant minority of children exhibited sleeplessness patterns not fitting conventional diagnostic criteria.
- Objective sleep data showed no difference between children with and without reported sleeplessness.
- Overall sleep quality in children with ASD was compromised compared to normative values.
Conclusions:
- Behavioral issues are the most frequent underlying cause of sleeplessness in children with ASD.
- Current diagnostic criteria may not fully capture the spectrum of sleep problems in ASD.
- Despite objective measures, sleep quality is impaired in children with ASD, necessitating further investigation and tailored interventions.
Abstract:
The present study sought to describe the profile of sleep disturbance reported in children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) and to document any sleep disorders underlying reports of sleeplessness. Sixty-nine children aged 5 to 16 years (mean 9 years 4 months, SD 2 years 7 months; 14 females) with an ASD were assessed by detailed sleep histories taken from parents, the Simonds and Parraga Sleep Questionnaire, a 2-week sleep diary, and actigraphs worn by the child for five nights. Parent-reported sleeplessness featured prominently (64%). Sleep disorders underlying the sleeplessness were most commonly behavioural (i.e. to do with inappropriate sleep-related behaviours), although sleep-wake cycle disorders and anxiety-related problems were also seen. In addition, the sleeplessness patterns of a large minority of children could not be classified by conventional diagnostic criteria. Sleep patterns measured objectively did not differ between those children with or without reported sleeplessness, but the sleep quality of all children seemed to be compromised compared with normal values.
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