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Sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorder and typical development
Author(s) -
Inthikoot Nipaporn,
Chonchaiya Weerasak
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
pediatrics international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.49
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1442-200X
pISSN - 1328-8067
DOI - 10.1111/ped.14496
Subject(s) - autism spectrum disorder , bedtime , medicine , sleep (system call) , anxiety , sleep onset latency , autism , typically developing , pediatrics , audiology , sleep disorder , insomnia , clinical psychology , psychiatry , computer science , operating system
Background Although higher sleep problems have been mostly reported in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared with typically developing (TD) children, particularly in Western countries, such evidence is relatively scarce in developing countries. We therefore investigated sleep difficulties in Thai children aged 3‐16 years with ASD compared with age‐ and gender‐matched TD children by using the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ)‐Thai version. Methods Sixty‐five children with ASD (mean age 97.7, SD 44.5 months; boys 70.8%) and 65 TD individuals (mean age 98.5, SD 43.5 months) were enrolled at a university‐based hospital in Bangkok. Background characteristics, sleep duration variables, and the CSHQ were completed by the participants' parents. The CSHQ subscales and total score between children with ASD and TD controls were then compared. Results Children with ASD were more likely to have longer sleep latency than TD individuals for both weekdays and the weekend. Those with ASD had higher CSHQ subscales including bedtime resistance, sleep onset delay, sleep anxiety, and night waking in addition to the CSHQ total scores than TD controls. In the ASD group, those who took psychostimulants for treatment of ADHD had lower scores on the sleep duration subscale compared with unmedicated individuals. Conclusions Sleep difficulties were more prevalent in children with ASD compared with TD individuals. Parents should be advised to be aware of sleep problems in individuals with ASD. As such, sleep disturbances will be identified early, resulting in appropriate management and improved quality of life, not only for those with ASD but also their families.