Sleep disturbances in adolescents and young adults with autism and Asperger syndrome.
Use actigraphy or sleep diaries—not just questionnaires—to catch clinically significant sleep problems in autistic teens and young adults.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Coffey et al. (2005) strapped wristwatch-size actigraphy units on autistic teens and young adults. They also asked parents to fill out sleep questionnaires.
The team compared the two data sources to see which one spotted real sleep trouble.
What they found
Actigraphy caught low sleep efficiency or long sleep latency in 80 percent of the group. Parent forms rated the problems as only moderate.
In short, the machines saw what caregivers missed.
How this fits with other research
Costa et al. (2020) later showed that poor sleep quality drags down quality of life in the same age group. The actigraphy data from F et al. give you the early warning sign.
Scior et al. (2023) found that undetected child sleep issues boomerang back onto maternal mental health. Catching sleep problems early, as F et al. urge, helps the whole family.
Bishop et al. (2023) link poor sleep in autistic adults to higher cardiovascular risk. Objective sleep checks in the teen years may head off later health problems.
Why it matters
If you only ask, "How did you sleep?" you will miss most clinically significant problems. Add one cheap tool: a week of actigraphy or a simple sleep diary. You will spot the 80 percent who need help now and may face mood or health issues later.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Sleep problems are commonly reported in children with autistic disorders. Most studies are based on sleep questionnaires and sleep diaries, but polysomnographic and actigraphic data have also been used. In this study we investigated sleep in older individuals (aged 15-25 years) with autism and Asperger syndrome, using sleep questionnaires, sleep diaries and actigraphy. Although the sleep questionnaires completed by parents and caretakers revealed only a moderate degree of sleep problems, greater sleep disturbance was recorded with actigraphy. Using the latter method, low sleep efficiency (below 85 percent) or long sleep latency (more than 30 minutes) were found in 80 percent of the individuals. There was no early morning awakening, contrary to some earlier reports. This study suggests that even though subjective complaints of sleep disturbances are less common in adolescents and young adults with autism, this may be due to an adaptation process rather than an actual reduction in sleep disturbances.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2005 · doi:10.1177/1362361305049031