Parents' experience with the management of sleep disorders in children with autism: A qualitative study.
Chinese parents feel unprepared and emotionally drained when handling sleep issues in autistic kids—clinicians need to offer targeted sleep guidance and emotional support.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Shi et al. (2025) talked with Chinese parents about sleep problems in their autistic children.
They asked open questions. Parents shared stories, feelings, and what they do at bedtime.
The goal was to learn what parents know, feel, and try when sleep is hard.
What they found
Parents said they feel lost. They do not get clear sleep advice from doctors.
Night after night of broken sleep leaves them sad, tired, and alone.
Each family copes in its own way. Some read online, some use melatonin, some just endure.
How this fits with other research
Heald et al. (2020) asked parents and doctors the same questions four years earlier. They also found knowledge gaps and need for parent education.
Kuenzel et al. (2021) surveyed autistic adults in the UK. Adults said doctors give too many pills and not enough talk therapy. The Chinese parents want any help at all. Both groups agree care is poor, but they ask for different fixes.
Wang et al. (2026) will soon show the same cycle of delay and confusion in low-resource areas. Shi et al. (2025) already sees it in sleep services today.
Why it matters
If you serve Chinese families, start by asking, "How is bedtime?" Give them a short handout in Chinese on sleep hygiene and melatonin use. Offer a weekly group chat so parents can share tips and feel less alone. Small moves like these fill the knowledge gap Feifei et al. found and can improve nights for both child and parent.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
PURPOSE: Sleep disorders are a common co-occurring problem in children with autism, and parents are the main implementers in the process of their management. However, there is a paucity of research on parents' experiences of managing sleep disorders in children with autism, especially in Asian countries. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of managing sleep disorders in children with autism in China from a parental perspective. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used a descriptive qualitative research method to conduct semi-structured interviews with 14 parents of children with both autism and sleep disorders. Data were analysed according to the Colaizzi descriptive analysis framework. RESULTS: Data analysis identified three macrothemes and eight subthemes: (1) sleep management dilemmas: lack of knowledge and skills in sleep disorder management, health professionals do not pay attention to sleep problems; (2) physical and psychological burdens: physical exhaustion, guilt, anxiety, helplessness; (3) different coping styles: positive coping, negative coping. CONCLUSIONS: Parents encounter challenges in the management of sleep disorders in their children with autism and respond in different ways. Healthcare professionals should enhance their own professional training and take appropriate improvement measures in order to provide help and support to parents.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2025 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2025.105027