Sleep disturbances associated with behavior problems in children with autism
ScienceDaily (May 3, 2010) — Reports have suggested that sleep problems in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are associated with challenging daytime behaviors.
A new study on a large group of youths with ASD confirms these reports and will support the development of treatments for sleep disturbances as a way to improve behavior, according to researchers from Autism Speaks’ Autism Treatment Network (ATN).
Results of the study, and three others conducted by the ATN, was presented May 2 at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
An estimated one in 110 U.S. children has autism, a group of complex developmental brain disorders that affect behavior, social skills and communication.
The ATN, which includes 14 treatment and research centers in the United States and Canada, enrolls patients ages 2-18 years with a diagnosis of autism, Asperger’s syndrome or pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).
Parents of children participating in the ATN completed the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire and the Child Behavior Checklist. An analysis of 1,056 children found an association between sleep problems and problematic daytime behaviors, especially emotional problems and anxiety. Children who got less sleep had more emotional problems, and children who had parasomnias, including nightmares, night terrors and sleepwalking, had more behavior problems overall.
“This study contributes to our understanding of sleep issues and helps us to plan future work addressing more specific symptoms and treatments,” said Daniel Coury, MD, medical director of the ATN and professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at The Ohio State University. “A better understanding of the relationship between sleep problems and daytime behavior could lead to more effective treatments for both.”
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by American Academy of Pediatrics, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Incoming search terms for the article:
- sleep disturbances 2 year old
- sleep disturbances in 3 year olds
- sensory processing disorder and sleep disturbances
- abnormal sleep behavior
- rem sleep behavior disorder
Similar articles
- Sleep deprivation influences drug use in teens’ social networks, study finds
ScienceDaily (Mar. 20, 2010) — Recent studies have shown that behaviors such as happiness, obesity, smoking and altruism are “contagious” within adult social networks. In other words, your behavior not only influences your friends, but also their friends and so on. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Harvard University have taken this
... - Behavioral therapy improves sleep and lives of patients with pain
ScienceDaily (Feb. 16, 2010) — Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia significantly improved sleep for patients with chronic neck or back pain and also reduced the extent to which pain interfered with their daily functioning, according to a study by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers. The study, published online by the journal Sleep Medicine, demonstrates
... - Sleep may help you become a ‘Guitar Hero’
ScienceDaily (June 10, 2010) — Your performance of a complex motor-learning task such as “Guitar Hero” may improve after sleep, suggests a research abstract presented June 9, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC. Results indicate that the improvement in performance accuracy on
... - Brain injuries may result in trouble sleeping, study finds
ScienceDaily (May 25, 2010) — People with brain injuries may produce low amounts of melatonin, which affects their sleep, according to a study published in the May 25, 2010, print issue of Neurology , the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. For the study, 23 people who had a severe traumatic brain injury
... - Helping Your Child With Autism Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Helping Your Child With Autism Get a Good Night’s Sleep During the first few months of life, babies ease into a normal cycle of sleep and wakefulness. They gradually reduce the number of daytime naps and start sleeping for longer periods of time at night. But some children continue to have difficulty falling asleep or
...