Background Several previous studies have identified a potential role that the gut microbiome can play in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children, but little is known about how variations in the virome may be involved in ASD. We aimed to understand the changes in the gut DNA virome of children with ASD. Methods A case–control study was presented, in which 13 two-children families were observed while considering the age, mode of birth, history of antibiotic use, and vaccination history to minimize the influence of confounding factors. DNA viral metagenomic sequencing was successfully performed on stool samples from 11 children with ASD and 12 healthy non-ASD children. The basic composition and gene function of the participants' fecal DNA virome were detected and analyzed. Finally, the abundance and diversity of the DNA virome of children with ASD and their healthy siblings were compared. Results The gut DNA virome in children aged 3–11 years was found to be dominated by the Siphoviridae family of Caudovirales. The proteins encoded by the DNA genes mainly carry out the functions of genetic information transmission and metabolism. Compared the gut DNA virome of ASD and healthy non-ASD children, their abundance of Caudovirales and Petitvirales both showed a significant negative correlation (r = -0.902, P < 0.01), there was no statistically significant difference in the relative abundance of viruses at the order and family levels, and a difference in the relative abundance at the genus level for Skunavirus (Ζ = -2.157, P = 0.031). Viral α diversity was reduced in children with ASD, but α diversity and β diversity did not differ statistically between groups. Conclusions This study indicates that elevated Skunavirus abundance and decreased α diversity in the gut DNA virulence group of children with ASD, but no statistically significant difference in the change in alpha and beta diversity. This provides preliminary cumulative information on virological aspects of the relationship between the microbiome and ASD, and should benefit future multi-omics and large sample studies on the gut microbes in children with ASD.

Objectives Sleep disorder is an important adverse factor affecting the prognosis of children with autism. This study focuses on the condition of sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorder and its association to severity. Participants and methods: The Anhui disabled people' Federation has listed 153 autism training facilities. Half of them (5508 kids) are chosen using odd and even codes between the ages of 1 and 8 years. 1377 autistic kids in total were chosen at random for the questionnaire survey using a 1:4 (numerical code). The Children's Sleep Habit Questionnaire (CSHQ), the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) were looked into and assessed, respectively. Results A total of 1072 valid questionnaires were received, including 818 boys and 254 girls, with a male to female ratio of 3.22:1. A total of 98.60% of the kids, 568 kids (98.1%) in the mild to moderate ASD group, and 489 kids (99.18%) in the severe ASD group, reported having sleep issues. The overall mean CSHQ score for the entire sample was 51.57±7.16, with the severe group reporting higher scores than the mild to moderate group (51.58±8.05 vs 49.52±7.69, p<0.001). Similarly, subscales of CSHQ such as sleep on set delay (7.80 ± 1.61 vs 7.58 ± 1.52, p = 0.027), sleep resistance (3.69 ± 1.12 vs 3.40 ± 1.15, p < 0.001), sleep duration (6.27 ± 1.25 vs 6.03 ± 1.08, p = 0.001), sleep anxiety (4.21 ± 1.54 vs 3.99 ± 1.52, p = 0.019) and night waking (5.33 ± 1.82 vs 4.85 ± 1.55, p < 0.001) were more problematic among severe group compared to mild to moderate group. According to regression research, the type of caregiver and their educational background have an impact on the severity of sleep disturbances. Sleep difficulties are always negatively correlated with nurturing environment, whereas wake-up times are the contrary. Conclusions The high likelihood of sleep disturbances in Chinese ASD children calls for the urgent adoption of parental education and social support programs to lessen the effects of sleep issues in ASD families. Important risk variables that affect sleep disorders and the severity of autism include wake-up time, caregiver, and nurturing environment. ASD children's sleep quality may be dramatically improved by encouraging fathers to participate in sleep instruction, creating a healthy nurturing environment, and cutting back on wake-up time.