Sleep in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: How Are Measures of Parent Report and Actigraphy Related and Affected by Sleep Education?

Behav Sleep Med. 2016 Nov-Dec;14(6):665-76. doi: 10.1080/15402002.2015.1065408. Epub 2015 Nov 30.

Abstract

Sleep disturbance is common in children with autism, resulting in a great need for effective treatments. To evaluate treatments for sleep disturbance in this population, it is critical to understand the relationship between measures of sleep captured by parent report and objective measures. The Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) and actigraphy-measured data from 80 children with autism and sleep-onset delay were evaluated. Reported problems with sleep-onset delay were concurrent with sleep duration problems in 66% of children, night wakings in 72% of children, and bedtime resistance in 66% of children; 38% of children were reported to have problems with all CSHQ insomnia domains. Actigraphy-measured sleep duration was correlated with estimates using CSHQ-reported bed and wake times.

MeSH terms

  • Actigraphy*
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder / complications*
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder / physiopathology*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Health Education*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Parents / education*
  • Parents / psychology
  • Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / complications
  • Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / physiopathology
  • Sleep Medicine Specialty / education
  • Sleep Wake Disorders / complications*
  • Sleep Wake Disorders / physiopathology*
  • Sleep*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires