Randomised Controlled Trial of a Behavioural Sleep Intervention, ‘Sleeping Sound’, for Autistic Children: 12-Month Outcomes and Moderators of Treatment

Pattison et al. (2022) ran a fair-test trial of the 'Sleeping Sound' package. Families of autistic children aged 5-8 were picked at random to get the sleep plan or usual care.

The team checked sleep scores again 12 months later. They also asked who the plan helped most.

Kids who got Sleeping Sound kept better sleep a full year later. The gain was medium-sized and held steady.

The win was biggest for three groups: children already on sleep meds, parents with low stress, and kids with milder autism traits.

Sasson et al. (2022) tested a similar sleep plan for Down syndrome and saw no extra benefit. Both studies used the same RCT rules, so the positive autism result is not just a 'good study' mirage.

Rodgers et al. (2021) show that two years of broad ABA gives small IQ and adaptive gains. Pattison adds a new piece: a short, sleep-only package can still deliver lasting change in one tough area.

Van Gaasbeek et al. (2026) pool 29 early-ABA papers and find large real-world gains. Sleeping Sound fits right in — it is another focused, parent-led tool that works outside the university lab.

If you serve school-age autistic clients, you now have an RCT-backed sleep plan that still works one year later. Try it first with families who use sleep meds or report calm homes — the study says they will see the fastest pay-off. For stressed parents, pair the sleep plan with mindfulness or ACT support from Chan et al. (2025) or Ni et al. (2025) to reach the same window.