Toddlers with autism sleep less well as babies
New Birkbeck research has demonstrated that sleep interventions for babies with a family history of autism need to be explored.
Babies who have a parent or sibling with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) sleep less well at night compared to babies with no family history of ASD, new research at Birkbeck reveals. Importantly, those children with a later ASD diagnosis in toddlerhood also had poorer sleep during infancy, characterised by shorter sleep durations, more frequent wake ups at night and taking longer to fall asleep.
The research team says the results are important as they indicate the need to explore sleep interventions for babies with a family history of ASD.
The researchers examined sleep in 164 babies at aged 5, 10 and 14 months. By 14 months, children who have a parent or sibling with ASD slept less well at night. Poorer sleep at this age associated with weaker cognitive skills, a lesser ability to adapt to social situations, and greater ASD traits in later toddlerhood.
The study also found that the amount of sleep at night and the developing of social attention (such as looking to faces) were interrelated, which suggests that sleep quality influences brain development.
Dr Jannath Begum Ali, Senior Post Doctoral Researcher at Birkbeck’s Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, commented: “Children with neurodevelopmental disorders including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often experience sleep disturbances, but little is known about when these sleep differences emerge and how they relate to later development. We found that unlike babies that have a parent or sibling with ASD, babies with a family history of ADHD did not show sleep disturbances at night, so these findings are specific to ASD. By 14 months, infants with a family history of ASD were sleeping, on average, 70 minutes less per night. Given the impact of reduced sleep on later development, this study has demonstrated that sleep interventions for babies with a family history of ASD need to be explored.”