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Feasibility of Actigraphy for Evaluating Sleep and Daytime Physical Activity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

This research evaluated the feasibility of actigraphy to measure sleep and physical activity in children (ages 2–8 years) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We also explored associations between sleep and physical activity. Validated screening measures established eligibility. Questionnaires, diaries, and 5 days and 5 nights of actigraphy monitoring were used to collect data. Of the 32 children enrolled, 27 (84.4%) completed actigraphy monitoring. Based on the median steps per day, children with high physical activity had lower total sleep time and more disruptive behaviors than children with low physical activity. Findings support the feasibility of using actigraphy to measure sleep and physical activity in children with ASD. Larger studies are needed to evaluate interactions of physical activity on sleep in this population.

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Acknowledgments

This project was prepared as part of a doctoral dissertation. The authors would like to thank the autism organizations for helping with recruitment, and the families who participated in the study.

Funding

This work was funded in part by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Measuring Sleep Problems in Children with ASD Grant (No. R01HD099480; LS, CRJ, MLA) and by the Legacy Fellowship (MLA) and Alumni Association Awards (all authors) at Case Western Reserve University Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing located at 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106.

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Author notes

  1. M. L. Alder

    Present address: Emory University School of Medicine, Marcus Autism Center, 1920 Briarcliff Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA, 30033, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Emory University School of Medicine, Marcus Autism Center, 1920 Briarcliff Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA, 30033, USA

    L. Scahill

  2. Cleveland Clinic Children’s Center for Autism, Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, 2801 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr, Cleveland, OH, 44104, USA

    C. R. Johnson

  3. Case Western Reserve University, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA

    M. L. Alder, J. A. Zauszniewski & C. J. Burant

  4. Department of Neurology, Sleep Disorders Division, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1161 21st Ave. South, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA

    B. A. Malow

Authors
  1. M. L. Alder
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  2. C. R. Johnson
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  3. J. A. Zauszniewski
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  4. B. A. Malow
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  5. C. J. Burant
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  6. L. Scahill
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Contributions

MLA, CRJ, JAZ, BAM, CJB, and LS contributed to the study conception, design, methodology, and reporting. Project administration, material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by MLA. The first draft of the manuscript was written by MLA and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. L. Alder.

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Conflict of interest

Dr. Scahill has served as a consultant to Roche, Janssen, Impel, and Finch. Dr. Scahill receives book royalties from Oxford, Guilford and American Psychological Association and license fees from Roche and Yamo. Dr. Johnson receives book royalties from Oxford and American Psychological Association. We have no other conflicts of interest to disclose.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Consent to Participate

Written informed consent was obtained from all legal guardians of the child participants included in this study.

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Alder, M.L., Johnson, C.R., Zauszniewski, J.A. et al. Feasibility of Actigraphy for Evaluating Sleep and Daytime Physical Activity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 53, 3670–3682 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05661-5

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