Sleep problems in children with autism

Abstract

SUMMAR Y Autism is a developmental disability characterized by severe deficits in social interaction and communication, and the presence of repetitive-ritualistic behaviors. Sleep problems are frequently reported by parents of children with autism with prevalence estimates of 44-83% for sleep disorders in this population. To better understand sleep in autism, we surveyed sleep problems in 210 children with autism using a Likert-based questionnaire for parent report. The most frequently reported sleep problems included difficulty in falling asleep, restless sleep, not falling asleep in own bed, and frequent wakenings. Least frequently reported sleep problems were sleep walking, morning headaches, crying during sleep, apnea, and nightmares. When surveys were divided into mental retardation (MR)/not MR categories, no significant differences were identified in frequencies of reported sleep problems except for waking at night which occurred much more frequently in the MR group. There was also no difference in sleep problems related to age of the child other than nocturnal enuresis. An association was noted between certain medical problems and sleep problems. Vision problems, upper respiratory problems, and runny nose were associated with decreased nighttime sleep. Vision problems, poor appetite, and poor growth were associated with increased nighttime waking. Poor appetite and poor growth were associated with decreased willingness to fall asleep. This study confirms a high prevalence of sleep problems reported by parents of children with autism and points to the need for more systematic research as an initial step in developing treatment strategies.

The Possible Interplay of Synaptic and Clock Genes in Autism Spectrum Disorders

“…This problem persists through childhood because 50-80% of children with ASD show highly significant increased sleep latency and nocturnal awakenings (Richdale and Prior 1995;Taira et al 1998;Takase et al 1998;Hering et al 1999;Elia et al 2000;Hayashi 2000;Schreck and Mulick 2000;Gail Williams et al 2004;Wiggs and Stores 2004;Limoges et al 2005;Oyane and Bjorvatn 2005;Polimeni et al 2005;Allik et al 2006;Hare et al 2006;Liu et al 2006;Malow et al 2006). An extensive survey of the sleep problems observed in ASD was recently reported by Liu et al (2006).…”

Sleep Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

“…The questionnaire consisted of three parts: a) demographics, b) the quantity of sleep, and c) behavioral problems in sleeping. The largest part of the questionnaire had been used in previous research (Williams et al, 2004), which was a modified version of the questionnaire study conducted by the Kosair Children's Hospital Sleep Center (Gozal, 1998). Parental participation was voluntary.…”

“…In this section we take into account the results based on parents' reports of sleep disturbance occurring "often" or "almost always". This section of the questionnaire included 23 categories of sleep disorder (Williams et al, 2004).…”

“…To be more precise, their stereotyped behaviors and social skills deteriorate (Schreck et al, 2004). Moreover, repeated awakenings during the night, difficulties in morning awakening, as well as an increase in the duration of the latent period of sleep are the most commonly reported sleep problems (Patzold et al, 1998;Richdale & Prior, 1995;Williams et al, 2004), which result in a shorter total duration of sleep.…”

“…To investigate this issue a total of 35 children with ASD and 35 children of Typical Development (TD) were selected from northern Greece. A structured questionnaire (Williams et al, 2004) was used, a modified version of the questionnaire study conducted by the Kosair Children's Hospital Sleep Center (Gozal, 1998). Results show that children with ASD often experience sleep problems compared to TD individuals and also exhibit frequent awakenings during the night, difficulty in falling asleep, breathing concerns during sleep, morning headaches, sleepwalking, nightmares and fall asleep at school.…”