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Updated: May 13, 2026
Comparing Eye-tracking Data of Children with High-functioning ASD, Comorbid ADHD, and of a Control Watching Social Videos
Published on: December 7, 2018
An investigation of sleep patterns in adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder compared with
Emma Baker1, Amanda Richdale, Michelle Short
1Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
Objective:
To investigate the sleep patterns and disturbances in a pure sample of adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD).
Method:
Adolescents completed a sleep questionnaire battery and a 7 d sleep diary. Actigraphic data were collected from a sub-sample of participants (55%) with HFASD and all typically developing (TD) adolescents.
Results:
Adolescents with HFASD were three times more likely to report a sleep problem than their TD peers (46.2% vs. 14.8%). Adolescents with HFASD had decreased sleep efficiency (diary) (p = 0.04, η(2 )= 0.10), and more fatigue (p = 0.002, η(2 )= 0.18) compared with TD adolescents. While TD adolescents generally experienced one symptom of insomnia, adolescents with HFASD were likely to experience two or three symptoms of insomnia (p = 0.02, V = 0.36).
Conclusion:
The findings suggest that adolescents with HFASD show a continuation of the maladaptive sleep patterns as seen in children with an autism spectrum disorder and these sleep disturbances are associated with increased daytime sleepiness.
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