Course and Predictors of Sleep and Co-occurring Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (original) (raw)
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Sleep Disturbances and Sensory Processing among Autism Spectrum Disorder Children
IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia
INTRODUCTION: Research on sleep disturbances and sensory processing disorder (SPD) among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has received little attention. Identification of sensory components that cause sleep disturbances among ASD children will guide the therapists to select the best intervention for the condition. This study aims to identify the pattern of sensory processing that is responsible for sleep disturbance among ASD children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 55 ASD children between three and 18 years old who participated in the study. SPD was analyzed using Short Sensory Profile (SSP) while sleep disturbances utilized the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC). RESULTS: The subscale of SPD showed a strong correlation with the score for overall sleep disturbances. The subscales SPD are movements sensitivity with a positive association and auditory filtering with a negative correlation association (p<0.05). However, no si...
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2021
Previous research has demonstrated that sleep disturbances are positively correlated with sensory sensitivities in children with ASD. Most of these studies, however, were based on cross-sectional analyses, where the relationship across symptom domains was examined at a single time-point. Here, we examined the development of 103 preschool children with ASD over a 1-3-year period. The results revealed that spontaneous longitudinal changes in sleep disturbances were specifically correlated with changes in sensory sensitivities and not with changes in other sensory processing domains nor with changes in core ASD symptoms. These finding demonstrate a consistent longitudinal relationship between sleep disturbances and sensory sensitivities, which suggests that these symptoms may be generated by common or interacting underlying physiological mechanisms.
Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology
Sleep disturbances are frequent and various in the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Growing evidence suggests that sleep problems in children with ASD are driven by their clinical characteristics and psychiatric comorbidities. Hence, the wide range of reported sleep disturbances would reflect the marked heterogeneity of clinical pictures in the ASD spectrum. Whether sleep disturbances and their various forms may in turn account for at least part of the phenotypical variability of ASD is a crucial question discussed in this review. We first outline the studies both validating and challenging a bidirectional theoretical framework for sleep disorders in children with ASD. We then propose to extent this model by including cognition and sensory processing as key factors in the vicious circle linking sleep disorders and autistic symptoms.
Sleep Disturbances in Children Affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder
Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2022
Background: Sleep disturbances are common in children affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The aim of our study was to describe sleep characteristics and disturbances in children with ASD, to evaluate possible related factors, and to assess parental stress. Methods: Hundred children with a diagnosis of ASD (mean age: 66.7 months, SD: 27.4, range: 24.7-152.1 months, n = 79 males) were included in the study. We collected data on sociodemographic, clinical, genetic and instrumental variables as well as comorbid conditions. Parents filled out the Questionnaire on sleep behavior in the first years of life, the BEARS questionnaire, and the Parenting Stress Index Short Form. From the analysis on sleep characteristics, we excluded 25 children treated with melatonin. Results: Fifty-seven (57%) out of 100 children met the criteria for insomnia. Sleep disorders were associated with developmental or cognitive delay, emotional and behavioral problems (such as anxiety problems and aggressive behaviors) and absence of strategies for inducing sleep after nocturnal awakenings. From parents' reports, sleep disorders had diurnal repercussions on their offspring; however, we found no statistical correlation between disturbances and family stress. Also, no significant correlation was found between sleep disturbances and epilepsy. Finally, a statistical correlation was found between the regular intake of melatonin and the resolution of insomnia. Conclusions: Multifactorial variables may be associated to insomnia that could have an impact on the children' behavior. Clinicians need to be aware of the value of screening for sleep disturbance in children with ASD to integrate sleep interventions in the treatment plan.
Sleep problems are common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Sleep problems in these disorders may not only worsen daytime behaviors and core symptoms of ASD and ADHD but also contribute to parental stress levels. Therefore, the presence of sleep problems in ASD and ADHD requires prompt attention and management. This article is presented in 2 sections, one each for ASD and ADHD. First a detailed literature review about the burden and prevalence of different types of sleep disorders is presented, followed by the pathophysiology and etiology of the sleep problems and evaluation and management of sleep disorders in ASD and ADHD.
Sleep disturbances are associated with specific sensory sensitivities in children with autism
Molecular Autism, 2018
Background: Sensory abnormalities and sleep disturbances are highly prevalent in children with autism, but the potential relationship between these two domains has rarely been explored. Understanding such relationships is important for identifying children with autism who exhibit more homogeneous symptoms. Methods: Here, we examined this relationship using the Caregiver Sensory Profile and the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire, which were completed by parents of 69 children with autism and 62 age-matched controls. Results: In line with previous studies, children with autism exhibited more severe sensory abnormalities and sleep disturbances than age-matched controls. The sleep disturbance scores were moderately associated with touch and oral sensitivities in the autism group and with touch and vestibular sensitivities in the control group. Hypersensitivity towards touch, in particular, exhibited the strongest relationship with sleep disturbances in the autism group and single-handedly explained 24% of the variance in total sleep disturbance scores. In contrast, sensitivity in other sensory domains such as vision and audition was not associated with sleep quality in either group. Conclusions: While it is often assumed that sensitivities in all sensory domains are similarly associated with sleep problems, our results suggest that hypersensitivity towards touch exhibits the strongest relationship with sleep disturbances when examining children autism. We speculate that hypersensitivity towards touch interferes with sleep onset and maintenance in a considerable number of children with autism who exhibit severe sleep disturbances. This may indicate the existence of a specific sleep disturbance mechanism that is associated with sensitivity to touch, which may be important to consider in future scientific and clinical studies.
Sleep Disturbances in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Sleep problems have been commonly reported in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This review takes a lifespan perspective in discussing recent findings on sleep disturbances in ASD, including sparse but pivotal studies in toddlers and adults. Current evidence shows that more than a mere comorbidity, sleep disturbances can represent a key factor in ASD. Already present before the age of 2, sleep problems are one of the early warning signs of ASD, which persist through lifespan. Genetic, epigenetic, psychological, and social/environmental factors involved in sleep disturbances in ASD contribute to better understand the core symptoms of autism (restricted and repetitive behaviors, communication , and social deficits). Although often considered as secondary by the therapeutic community, behavioral and pharmacological sleep interventions are efficient to reduce symptoms severity in ASD individuals and improve parents' mental health. This review should convince the scientific and medical community to address sleep complaints and autism symptoms together rather than separate entities.
Sleep problems in children with autism spectrum problems: a longitudinal population-based study
2011
This study examined the prevalence and chronicity of sleep problems in children who manifest problems believed to be typical of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Using data from a longitudinal total population study, symptoms of ASD, insomnia and potential explanatory factors were assessed at ages 7-9 and 11-13. Children were included in a group defined as having Autism Spectrum Problems (ASP) if they scored above a strict threshold on the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ). Twenty-eight (0.8%) of 3700 children fulfilled the selected criteria for ASP at both waves, and the prevalence of chronic insomnia was more than ten times