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Sleep behaviors and sleep quality in children with autism spectrum disorders

Margaret C Souders1, Thorton B A Mason, Otto Valladares

  • 1Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and School of Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Center for Autism Research, 3535 Market Street, Room 835, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. souders@email.chop.edu

Sleep
|January 1, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) experience significantly more sleep disturbances than typically developing (TD) children, with 66% of ASD cases showing moderate issues. This highlights a critical public health concern for pediatric sleep debt.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric sleep research
  • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research
  • Neurodevelopmental disorders

Background:

  • Sleep disturbances are common in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
  • Understanding sleep patterns in ASD is crucial for improving quality of life for affected children and their families.
  • Pediatric sleep debt is a significant public health concern.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare sleep behaviors and quality between children with ASD and typically developing (TD) children.
  • To estimate the prevalence of sleep disturbances in both ASD and TD cohorts.
  • To identify predominant sleep disorders in children with ASD.

Main Methods:

  • A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted.
  • Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) and actigraphy were used to assess sleep.
  • 59 children with ASD (aged 4-10) were compared with 40 TD control subjects.

Main Results:

  • 66.1% of parents of children with ASD reported sleep problems, compared to 45% of parents of TD children.
  • Actigraphy revealed disturbed sleep in 66.7% of children with ASD versus 45.9% of TD children.
  • Behavioral insomnia (sleep-onset type) and insomnia due to PDD were predominant in the ASD cohort.

Conclusions:

  • Children with ASD exhibit a high prevalence of moderate sleep disturbances.
  • Mild sleep disturbances in TD children indicate a broader public health issue of pediatric sleep debt.
  • Addressing sleep problems in ASD is essential for affected families.
Abstract

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