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Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
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Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Published on: April 22, 2015

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Sleep-behaviour relationship in children with autism spectrum disorder: methodological pitfalls and insights from

Gaétane Deliens1,2, Philippe Peigneux2,3

  • 1Autism in Context: Theory and Experiment (ACTE), Center for Research in Linguistics (LaDisco), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.

Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology
|April 11, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Sleep disturbances are common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This review explores the bidirectional relationship between autistic symptoms and sleep issues, suggesting cognition and sensory processing are key factors.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Sleep disturbances are prevalent and diverse in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
  • These sleep problems are often linked to clinical features and psychiatric conditions in children with ASD.
  • The heterogeneity of ASD clinical presentations is reflected in the wide range of reported sleep disturbances.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the bidirectional theoretical framework for sleep disorders in children with ASD.
  • To explore whether sleep disturbances contribute to the phenotypic variability observed in ASD.
  • To propose an extended model incorporating cognition and sensory processing into the ASD sleep-disorder interplay.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies examining the relationship between sleep disturbances and ASD.
  • Analysis of theoretical frameworks for sleep disorders in ASD.
  • Proposal of an extended model integrating cognitive and sensory factors.

Main Results:

  • Evidence supports a bidirectional relationship between autistic symptoms and sleep disturbances.
  • The heterogeneity of ASD is associated with varied sleep problems.
  • A proposed model highlights the role of cognition and sensory processing in this relationship.

Conclusions:

  • There is a bidirectional interplay between autism symptoms and sleep disturbances.
  • Sleep disturbances may contribute to the phenotypic variability in ASD.
  • Further research should investigate the influence of sleep on daytime cognitive and sensory skills in ASD.

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