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Updated: Aug 20, 2025

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Randomised Controlled Trial of a Behavioural Sleep Intervention, 'Sleeping Sound', for Autistic Children: 12-Month

Emily Pattison1, Nicole Papadopoulos2, Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz3

  • 1School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, 1 Gheringhap Street, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia.

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
|November 22, 2022
PubMed

Insights

The Sleeping Sound intervention significantly improved sleep in autistic children long-term. Benefits were greater for those on medication, with severe autism, or whose parents had no psychological distress.

Area of Science:

  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Behavioral Therapy

Background:

  • Sleep problems are prevalent in autistic children, impacting their well-being and development.
  • Behavioral interventions show promise but require investigation into long-term efficacy and moderators.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the sustained effects of the "Sleeping Sound" behavioral sleep intervention in autistic children.
  • To identify moderators that influence the long-term effectiveness of the intervention.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial involving autistic children aged 5-13 with sleep problems.
  • Comparison between the "Sleeping Sound" intervention and Treatment as Usual (TAU).
  • Assessment at 12-month follow-up for sleep problem reduction.

Main Results:

  • The "Sleeping Sound" intervention group showed significantly greater reduction in sleep problems compared to TAU (p < .001, effect size: -0.4).
  • Sustained improvements in child sleep were observed.
  • Long-term benefits were enhanced for children using sleep medication, those with greater autism severity, and children of parents without psychological distress.

Conclusions:

  • The "Sleeping Sound" intervention offers sustained improvements in sleep for autistic children.
  • Specific subgroups, identified by moderators like medication use, parental distress, and autism severity, may benefit more from the intervention or require tailored support.

Keywords:
Autism spectrum disorderFollow-upInterventionModeratorRCTSleep

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