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Published on: July 31, 2017
Subjective and Electroencephalographic Sleep Parameters in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A
Maria Giuseppina Petruzzelli1, Emilia Matera2, Donatella Giambersio2
1Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", 70121 Bari, Italy.
Insights
Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience more sleep problems than typically developing peers. These sleep issues are linked to brain dysfunction and impact treatment strategies.
Area of Science:
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Sleep Medicine
- Pediatric Psychology
Background:
- Sleep problems are prevalent in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- These sleep disturbances contribute to functional impairment and significant distress.
- Understanding sleep parameters is crucial for managing ASD-related challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review objective and subjective sleep parameters in children and adolescents with ASD.
- To synthesize findings from polysomnography, electroencephalography, and sleep questionnaires.
- To update the current literature on sleep in the ASD population.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a systematic review of case-control studies.
- Searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases.
- Adhered to Preferred Reporting items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
Main Results:
- Children and adolescents with ASD exhibit higher rates of sleep abnormalities compared to neurotypical children.
- Subjective reports and objective measures indicate increased nighttime insomnia in ASD.
- Sleep microstructure patterns suggest a bidirectional link between brain dysfunction and sleep issues in ASD.
Conclusions:
- Objective and subjective sleep difficulties are frequently observed in individuals with ASD.
- Clinicians should evaluate sleep quality in ASD patients, considering treatment implications.
- Future research should explore factors like age, cognition, and ASD severity in relation to sleep abnormalities.
Background:
Sleep problems have commonly manifested in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with a complex and multifactorial interaction between clinical and etiological components. These disorders are associated with functional impairment, and provoke significant physical and mental affliction. The purpose of this study is to update the existing literature about objective and subjective sleep parameters in children and adolescents with ASD, extrapolating information from polysomnography or sleep electroencephalography, and sleep related questionnaires.
Methods:
We have conducted a systematic review of case-control studies on this topic, performing a web-based search on PubMed, Scopus and the Web of Science databases according to the Preferred Reporting items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
Results:
Data collected from 20 survey result reports showed that children and adolescents with ASD experienced a higher rate of sleep abnormalities than in typically developing children. The macrostructural sleep parameters that were consistent with subjective parent reported measures unveil a greater percentage of nighttime signs of insomnia. Sleep microstructure patterns, in addition, pointed towards the bidirectional relationship between brain dysfunctions and sleep problems in children with ASD.
Conclusions:
Today's literature acknowledges that objective and subjective sleep difficulties are more often recognized in individuals with ASD, so clinicians should assess sleep quality in the ASD clinical population, taking into consideration the potential implications on treatment strategies. It would be worthwhile in future studies to examine how factors, such as age, cognitive level or ASD severity could be related to ASD sleep abnormalities. Future research should directly assess whether sleep alterations could represent a specific marker for atypical brain development in ASD.
