Parent survey of sleep problems among children with CHARGE syndrome

The CHD8/CHD7/Kismet family links blood-brain barrier glia and serotonin to ASD-associated sleep defects

“…S1), validating the results of the sleep diaries. Our results are also consistent with previously reported sleep initiation and maintenance problems in CHARGE syndrome based on questionnaires, albeit these were collected, in part, for individuals lacking a genetic diagnosis (3,13). Together, our data strongly suggest a specific role for both CHD8 and CHD7 in sleep initiation and maintenance.…”

“…Resolving various aspects of sleep disorders, we found sleep initiation and maintenance to be specifically enriched compared to idiopathic ASD, highlighting the importance of examining sleep defects with the greatest possible resolution. Moreover, using objective sleep assessment shows that the same complaints-short TST, low SE, and increased SOL and WASO-are present in individuals with mutations in its paralog CHD7, in accordance with previous CHARGE syndrome literature based on sleep questionnaires (3,12,13). These results must be interpreted in the context of the limited cohort size that was available to us.…”

“…Disruptive de novo mutations in the CHD8 paralog CHD7 lead to CHARGE syndrome (OMIM 214800), a rare and phenotypically variable neurodevelopmental disorder characterized predominantly by severe ID (10,11). Although initially less attention has been paid to behavioral problems, it is now well established that children with CHARGE syndrome also frequently exhibit autistic features and sleep disturbances (12,13). In these patients, sleep problems are significantly associated with anxiety and autistic-like behaviors, greatly influencing their quality of life (12).…”

The effect of weighted blankets on sleep and related disorders: a brief review

“…For older people living in nursing homes, weighted blankets also have positive effect on improving sleep especially concerning waking up during the night ( 21 ). Furthermore, weighted blankets have also been used to treat sleep disorders in children with ADHD, ASD, and CHARGE syndrome ( 22 – 24 ). Interestingly, a review on non-traditional clinical treatments for improving sleep in children and young people suggested that although the weighted blankets intervention did not result in significant differences in sleep indicators, there was positive feedback on self-reports from subjects and caregivers ( 23 ).…”

“…Several studies focused on the impact of weighted blankets on other special populations. One exploratory study showed that parents of children with CHARGE syndrome found weighted blankets slightly effective in improving children’s sleep problems ( 24 ). The positive effects of weighted blankets were also found in children under general anesthesia, indicating that weighted blankets can be safely used for hospitalized children ( 46 ).…”