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Daytime sleep patterns in preschool children with autism, developmental delay, and typical development

A J Schwichtenberg1, Ana-Maria Iosif, Beth Goodlin-Jones

  • 1Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of California, M.I.N.D. Institute, Sacramento, CA 95819. ajschwichtenberg@ucdavis.edu

American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
|March 9, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Children with autism nap less than those with developmental delays. Both groups show developmental shifts in daytime sleep, with typically developing children napping less overall.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Background:

  • Daytime sleep patterns are crucial for cognitive and emotional development in preschoolers.
  • Understanding variations in sleep can inform interventions for neurodevelopmental disorders.
  • Autism spectrum disorder and developmental delays often present with sleep disturbances.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare daytime sleep patterns in preschool-aged children with autism, developmental delay, and typical development.
  • To investigate age-related changes in napping behavior across these groups.
  • To identify potential differences in sleep duration and frequency.

Main Methods:

  • Actigraphy and parent-report sleep diaries were used to monitor sleep over 7 days, repeated 3 times over 6 months.
  • 194 preschool-aged children were included: 3 groups (autism, developmental delay, typically developing).
  • Children with autism and developmental delay were matched for chronological age.

Main Results:

  • Children with autism napped less frequently and for shorter durations than children with developmental disabilities.
  • Children with developmental disabilities exhibited napping patterns more similar to typically developing children, who were younger on average.
  • All groups showed a developmental trend of reduced napping as children matured.

Conclusions:

  • Preschoolers with autism exhibit distinct daytime napping deficits compared to those with developmental delays.
  • Napping patterns in children with developmental disabilities more closely resemble those of younger, typically developing peers.
  • Daytime sleep maturation occurs across neurodevelopmental trajectories, but with group-specific variations.

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