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Association Between Sleep Deficiencies with Behavioral Problems in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Subtle Sex Differences
Rachel Michelle Saré1, Carolyn Beebe Smith1
1Section on Neuroadaptation and Protein Metabolism, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Summary
Sleep problems are common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study found sex differences in how sleep issues link to behaviors in children with and without ASD.
Area of Science:
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Behavioral Science
- Genetics and Sex Differences
Background:
- Sleep problems are highly prevalent in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- Existing research indicates a link between sleep disturbances and the severity of ASD-related behaviors.
- However, potential sex differences in these associations remain under-explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sex differences in the prevalence of sleep problems within the autism spectrum disorder population.
- To examine how sleep problems are associated with the severity of ASD-related behaviors, considering sex as a factor.
- To explore potential sex-specific relationships between sleep issues and behavioral manifestations in both children with ASD and their unaffected siblings.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a large dataset from the Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge (SPARK) online phenotyping project.
- Analyzed the association between diagnosed sleep problems and ASD-behavioral measures.
- Compared these associations across males and females in children with ASD and in unaffected siblings.
Main Results:
- Confirmed a high prevalence of sleep problems in children with ASD and a strong association with behavioral severity.
- Identified sex differences in the association between sleep problems and specific behaviors.
- In children with ASD, repetitive behaviors showed a slightly stronger association with sleep problems in females than males.
- In unaffected siblings, sleep problems were more strongly associated with social communication impairments in males than females.
Conclusions:
- Sleep problems are significantly linked to behavioral issues in autism spectrum disorder.
- Sex appears to play a moderating role in the relationship between sleep disturbances and behavioral phenotypes in ASD.
- These findings suggest that sex-specific approaches may be beneficial when addressing sleep and behavioral challenges in ASD.
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