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. 2023 Apr;53(4):1673-1681.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-021-05401-1. Epub 2022 Apr 6.

Longitudinal Examination of Sleep Problems and Symptom Severity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Eleonora Sadikova  1 , Kristen Dovgan  2 , Micah O Mazurek  3
Affiliations

Longitudinal Examination of Sleep Problems and Symptom Severity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Eleonora Sadikova et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2023 Apr.

Abstract

Up to 80% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience sleep problems, which have been associated with more severe presentations of ASD symptoms. We examined the bidirectional link between sleep problems and specific ASD symptoms at two time points within 5 years in a well-characterized sample (659 children with ASD). Using cross-lagged panel analyses, we found evidence for a unidirectional link between baseline ASD symptoms (specifically repetitive behaviors, atypical behaviors, communication, and peer interactions) and future sleep problems, but did not find evidence of a bidirectional relationship. We did not find any longitudinal association between social reciprocity and sleep problems. It is important for providers and caregivers to understand and monitor the link between ASD symptoms and sleep problems.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Repetitive behavior; Sleep disturbance; Sleep problems; Social communication.

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