Objective investigation of the sleep-wake cycle in adults with intellectual disabilities and autistic spectrum disorders.
In adults with ID living in group homes, autism does not add extra sleep disruption, so target the whole residence for circadian support, not just the ASD subgroup.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers strapped wristwatch-size actigraphs on adults living in group homes.
Half had autism plus intellectual disability. Half had only intellectual disability.
The devices tracked every minute of sleep and wake for days to map circadian rhythms.
What they found
Both groups slept about the same length, with similar bed and wake times.
Adding autism did not create extra sleep problems beyond the ID baseline.
Yet the whole sample showed weak, jagged rhythms compared to typical adults.
How this fits with other research
Maaskant et al. (2013) looked at adults over 65 with ID and saw large, negative rhythm damage. The new study shows the damage is already present by middle age, so ASD is not the extra culprit.
Mikulovic et al. (2014) found that earlier sleep timing links to lower obesity in the same population. Pair their survey with these objective data and you can target both sleep time and weight in one plan.
Laxton et al. (2026) used waist sensors to show these residents sit almost eight hours daily. The flat sleep rhythms here may feed the long sedentary bouts there; tackle both for better health.
Why it matters
Stop assuming autism always ruins sleep in adults who already have ID. Screen everyone in residential care for weak circadian signals instead of chasing an ASD label. Simple fixes—morning daylight, evening dim light, regular activity—can tighten the rhythm for all.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Disturbances in circadian rhythm functioning, as manifest in abnormal sleep-wake cycles, have been postulated to be present in people with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs). To date, research into the sleep-wake cycle in people with ASDs has been primarily dependant on third-party data collection. METHOD: The utilization of non-invasive objective recording technologies such as actigraphy permits investigation of both sleep and circadian rhythm functioning in people with ASDs, together with the collection of data on daytime activity. RESULTS: Data were collected from 31 participants with intellectual disabilities living in supported community-based residential provision aged between 20 and 58 years, of whom 14 had an ASD. Analysis indicated that there were no significant differences in sleep patterns and circadian rhythm function between those participants with an ASD and those without. CONCLUSIONS: The mean scores of the participants as a whole indicated abnormalities in the two key circadian rhythm parameters of interdaily stability and intradaily variability. The implications of these findings for both clinical practice and theory are discussed.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2006 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2006.00830.x