Sleep problems are associated with hypersensitivity to touch in children with autism (original) (raw)
BackgroundSensory 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.MethodsHere we examined this relationship using the Caregiver Sensory Profile and the children’s sleep habit questionnaires, which were completed by parents of 69 children with autism and 62 frequency age-matched controls.ResultsIn line with previous studies, children with autism exhibited more severe sensory abnormalities and sleep disturbances than age-matched controls. The sleep disturbance scores were strongly associated with touch and oral sensitivities in the autism group and with touch and vestibular sensitivities in the control group. Hyper sensitivity towards touch, in particular, exhibited the strongest relationship with sleep disturbances in the autism group and single-han...
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