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Behavioural Treatments for Sleep Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Review of the Recent Literature

  • Sleep Disorders (P Gehrman, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Behavioural sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are common and burdensome for both the child and their family. We provide an up-to-date review on behavioural sleep interventions and their core features and conclude with expert recommendations regarding the modification of interventions for children with ASD.

Recent Findings

In the past 3 years, four original research studies (n ≥ 10) have evaluated behavioural sleep interventions for children with ASD (one RCT, three pre-post studies). All four studies reported significant improvements across various sleep outcomes and daytime behaviours. The interventions varied, however, in assessment comprehensiveness, nature of implementation support, length and delivery of intervention, outcome measurements, and follow-up periods.

Summary

Clinically, behavioural sleep interventions are regarded as the first-line of treatment for sleep problems experienced by children with ASD. However, there is still much to be learnt regarding their clinical effectiveness.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Deakin Child Study Centre, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia

    Emily Pattison, Nicole Papadopoulos, Deborah Marks, Jane McGillivray & Nicole Rinehart

  2. The Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia

    Deborah Marks

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  1. Emily Pattison
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nicole Papadopoulos.

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Conflict of Interest

Emily Pattison and Deborah Marks declare that they have no conflict of interest. The Deakin Child Study Centre (Nicole Rinehart, Nicole Papadopoulous, Jane McGillivray) receives philanthropic funding from the Moose Toys, Ferrero Group Australia as part of its Kinder + Sport pillar of Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, MECCA Brands, Wenig Family, Geelong Community Foundation, and Grace & Emilio Foundation; and industry partner funding from the Victorian Department of Education, to conduct research in the field of neurodevelopmental disorders and inclusion. The Deakin Child Study Centre (NR, NP, JM) has also previously received scholarship funding from the Australian Football League and industry partner funding from the NDIS. NR has received donations from Vic Health and Bus Association Victoria and previous speaker honorarium from Novartis (2002), Pfizer (2006) and Nutricia (2007) and is a Director of the Amaze Board (Autism Victoria).

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All reported studies/experiments with human or animal subjects performed by the authors have been previously published and complied with all applicable ethical standards (including the Helsinki declaration and its amendments, institutional/national research committee standards and international/national/institutional guidelines).

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Pattison, E., Papadopoulos, N., Marks, D. et al. Behavioural Treatments for Sleep Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Review of the Recent Literature. Curr Psychiatry Rep 22, 46 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-020-01172-1

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