Abstract
Sleep problems of adolescents and older children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were compared to toddlers and young children in 1,859 children. Sleep was measured with the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire. Total sleep problems were significant across all age groups, however the factors contributing to these problems differed. Adolescents and older children had more problems with delayed sleep onset, shorter sleep duration, and daytime sleepiness; while younger children had more bedtime resistance, sleep anxiety, parasomnias, and night wakings. The results suggest that sleep problems persist through adolescence in ASD with differences in types of problems experienced and emphasize the need for clinicians to address sleep behaviors not only in young children with ASD but throughout the age span.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (2005). The international classifications of sleep disorders (2nd ed.). Westchester: American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association.
American Psychiatric Association. (2010). DSM-5 Development. 299.00 Autistic Disorder. Retrieved 29 June 2010, from http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevisions/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=94.
Carskadon, M. A., & Acebo, C. (1993). A self-administered rating scale for pubertal development. Journal of Adolescent Health, 14, 190–195.
Carskadon, M. A., Acebo, C., & Jenni, O. G. (2004). Regulation of adolescent sleep: Implications for behavior. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1021(Adolescent Brain Development: Vulnerabilities and Opportunities), 276–291.
Center for Disease Control. (2009). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders—autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, United States, 2006. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5810a1.htm.
Chowdhury, M., Benson, B. A., & Hillier, A. (2010). Changes in restricted repetitive behaviors with age: A study of high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 4, 210–216.
Couturier, J., Speechley, K., Steele, M., Norman, R., Stringer, B., & Nicolson, R. (2005). Parental perception of sleep problems in children of normal intelligence with pervasive developmental disorders: Prevalence, severity, and pattern. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 44, 815–822.
Crowley, S. J., Acebo, C., & Carskadon, M. A. (2007). Sleep, circadian rhythms, and delayed phase in adolescence. Sleep Medicine, 8, 602–612.
Dahl, R. E. (1996). The impact of inadequate sleep on children’s daytime cognitive function. Seminars in Pediatric Neurology, 3, 44–50.
Esbensen, A. J., Seltzer, M. M., Lam, K. S., & Bodfish, J. W. (2009). Age-related differences in restricted repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39, 57–66.
Gabriels, R. L., Cuccaro, M. L., Hill, D. E., Ivers, B. J., & Goldson, E. (2005). Repetitive behaviors in autism: Relationships with associated clinical features. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 26(2), 169–181.
Goldman, S. E., Surdyka, K., Cuevas, R., Adkins, K., Wang, L., & Malow, B. A. (2009). Defining the sleep phenotype in children with autism. Developmental Neuropsychology, 34, 560–573.
Goodlin-Jones, B. L., Sitnick, S. L., Tang, K., Liu, J. Y., & Anders, T. F. (2008). The children’s sleep habits questionnaire in toddlers and preschool children. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 29, 82–88.
Goodlin-Jones, B., Tang, K., Liu, J. Y., & Anders, T. F. (2009). Sleep problems, sleepiness and daytime behavior in preschool-age children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50, 1532–1540.
Johnson, E. O., Roth, T., Schultz, L., & Breslau, N. (2006). Epidemiology of DSM-IV insomnia in adolescence: Lifetime prevalence, chronicity, and an emergent gender difference. Pediatrics, 117(2), e247–e256.
Krakowiak, P., Goodlin-Jones, B., Hertz-Picciotto, I., Croen, L. A., & Hansen, R. L. (2008). Sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorders, developmental delays, and typical development: A population-based study. Journal of Sleep Research, 17, 197–206.
Limoges, E., Mottron, L., Bolduc, C., Berthiaume, C., & Godbout, R. (2005). Atypical sleep architecture and the autism phenotype. Brain, 128, 1049–1061.
Liu, X., Hubbard, J. A., Fabes, R. A., & Adam, J. B. (2006). Sleep disturbances and correlates of children with autism spectrum disorders. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 37, 179–191.
Lord, C., Risi, S., Lambrecht, L., Cook, E. H., Jr., Leventhal, B. L., DiLavore, P. C., et al. (2000). The autism diagnostic observation schedule-generic: A standard measure of social and communication deficits associated with the spectrum of autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30(3), 205–223.
Malow, B. A., Marzec, M. L., McGrew, S. G., Wang, L., Henderson, L. M., & Stone, W. L. (2006). Characterizing sleep in children with autism spectrum disorders: A multidimensional approach. Sleep, 29(12), 1563–1571.
Malow, B. A., & McGrew, S. G. (2008). Sleep disturbances and autism. Sleep Medicine Clinics, 3, 479–488.
McGrew, S., Malow, B. A., Henderson, L., Wang, L., Song, Y., & Stone, W. L. (2007). Developmental and behavioral questionnaire for autism spectrum disorders. Pediatric Neurology, 37(2), 108–116.
Millman, R. P. (2005). Excessive sleepiness in adolescents and young adults: Causes, consequences, and treatment strategies. Pediatrics, 115, 1774–1786.
National Institutes of Health. (2008). The interagency autism coordinating committee strategic plan for autism spectrum disorder research.
Owens, J. A., Spirito, A., & McGuinn, M. (2000). The Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ): Psychometric properties of a survey instrument for school-aged children. Sleep, 23, 1043–1051.
Oyane, N. M. F., & Bjorvatn, B. (2005). Sleep disturbances in adolescents and young adults with autism and Asperger syndrome. Autism, 9, 83–94.
Paavonen, E., Vehkalahti, K., Vanhala, R., von Wendt, L., Nieminen-von Wendt, T., & Aronen, E. (2008). Sleep in children with Asperger syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38(1), 41–51.
Pilcher, J. J., & Huffcutt, A. L. (1996). Effects of sleep deprivation on performance: A meta-analysis. Sleep, 19(4), 318–326.
Piven, J. M., Harper, J. B., Palmer, P., & Arndt, S. (1996). Course of behavioral change in autism: A retrospective study of high-IQ adolescents and adults. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 35, 523–529.
Polimeni, M. A., Richdale, A. L., & Francis, A. J. P. (2005). A survey of sleep problems in autism, Asperger’s disorder and typically developing children. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 49, 260–268.
Richdale, A. L., & Prior, M. R. (1995). The sleep/wake rhythm in children with autism. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 175–186.
Richdale, A. L., & Schreck, K. A. (2009). Sleep problems in autism spectrum disorders: Prevalence, nature and possible biopsychosocial aetiologies. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 13, 403–411.
Robinson, A. M., & Richdale, A. L. (2004). Sleep problems in children with an intellectual disability: Parental perceptions of sleep problems, and views of treatment effectiveness. Child: Care, Health and Development, 30, 139–150.
Schreck, K. A., Mulick, J. A., & Smith, A. F. (2004). Sleep problems as possible predictors of intensified symptoms of autism. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 25(1), 57–66.
Tani, P., Lindberg, N., Nieminen-von Wendt, T., von Wendt, L., Virkkala, J., Appelberg, B., et al. (2004). Sleep in young adults with Asperger syndrome. Neuropsychobiology, 50, 147–152.
Wiggs, L., & Stores, G. (2004). Sleep patterns and sleep disorders in children with autistic spectrum disorders: Insights using parent report and actigraphy. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 46, 372–380.
Williams, P. G., Sears, L., & Allard, A. (2004). Sleep problems in children with autism. Journal of Sleep Research, 13, 265–268.
Wolfson, A. R., & Carskadon, M. A. (1998). Sleep schedules and daytime functioning in adolescents. Child Development, 69, 875–887.
Wolfson, A. R., & Carskadon, M. A. (2003). Understanding adolescent’s sleep patterns and school performance: A critical appraisal. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 7(6), 491–506.
Wyatt, J. K. (2004). Delayed sleep phase syndrome: Pathophysiology and treatment options. Sleep, 27, 1195–1203.
Acknowledgments
The support of this study came from a cooperative agreement (UA3 MC 11054) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Research Program, to the Massachusetts General Hospital. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Autism Speaks, Inc. The authors acknowledge the members of the ATN for use of the data. The Autism Treatment Network includes these members: Clinical Coordinating Center, MassGeneral Hospital for Children: James Perrin, MD Dan Coury, MD; Data Coordinating Center, EMMES Corporation: Traci Clemons, PhD; Baylor College of Medicine: Diane Treadwell-Deering, MD Daniel Glaze, MD; Bloorview Kids Rehab, Surrey Place Centre and The Hospital for Sick Children: Wendy Roberts, MD Alvin Loh, MD;Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center: Patricia Manning-Courtney, MD Cynthia Molloy, MD, MS; Columbia University Medical Center: Agnes Whitaker, MD Reet Sidhu, MD; Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program Northern California: Lisa Croen, PhD Pilar Bernal, MD; Kennedy Krieger Institute and Marcus Institute: Rebecca Landa, PhD Stewart Mostofsky, MD; Oregon Health & Science University: Robert Steiner, MD Darryn Sikora, PhD; University of Arkansas and Arkansas Children’s Hospital: Jill James, PhD Jill Fussell, MD; University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine and The Children’s Hospital: Cordelia Robinson, PhD, RN Ann Reynolds, MD Susan Hepburn, PhD; University of Missouri: Judith Miles, MD, PhD Stephen Kanne, PhD; University of Pittsburgh: Nancy Minshew, MD Cynthia Johnson, PhD Benjamin Handen, PhD; University of Rochester: Susan Hyman, MD Tristram Smith, PhD; Vanderbilt University Medical School: Beth Malow, MD.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Goldman, S.E., Richdale, A.L., Clemons, T. et al. Parental Sleep Concerns in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Variations from Childhood to Adolescence. J Autism Dev Disord 42, 531–538 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1270-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1270-5