‘Investigating longitudinal associations between parent reported sleep in early childhood and teacher reported executive functioning in school-aged children with autism’

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rackeb Tesfaye ◽  
Nicola Wright ◽  
Anat Zaidman-Zait ◽  
Rachael Bedford ◽  
Lonnie Zwaigenbaum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Sleep Onset ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Behavioral Regulation ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Children With Asd

Abstract Up to 80% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience sleep disturbance. Poor sleep impairs executive functioning (EF), a lifelong difficulty in ASD. Evidence suggests EF difficulties in ASD are exacerbated by poor sleep. We examine whether early childhood sleep disturbances are associated with worsening EF trajectories in school-aged children with ASD. A subsample (n=217) from the Pathways in ASD longitudinal study was analyzed. The Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire captured sleep duration, onset, and night awakenings before age 5 (Mean=3.5years). Metacognition (MI) and Behavioral Regulation (BRI) indices, on the Teacher Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning, were used to measure cognitive and affective components of EF respectively at four time-points (7.8-11.8years). We applied latent growth curve models to examine associations between sleep and EF, accounting for relevant covariates, including school-age sleep (Mean=6.7years). Sleep traits had different age-related impacts on behavioral regulation, but not metacognition. Longer sleep onset at 3.5 years was associated with a worsening BRI difficulties slope (b=2.07, p<0.04), but conversely associated with lower BRI difficulties at 7.7 years (b=-4.14, p=0.04). A longer sleep onset at 6.7 years was related to higher BRI difficulties at 7.7 years (b=7.78, p<0.01). Longer sleep duration at 6.7 years was associated with higher BRI difficulties at age 7.7 (b=3.15, p=0.01), but subscale analyses revealed shorter sleep duration at age 6.7 was linked to a worsening inhibition slope (b=-0.60, p=0.01). Sleep onset is a robust early correlate of behavior regulation in children with ASD, whereas sleep duration is a later childhood correlate.

scholarly journals The Interplay Between Sleep and Executive Functioning in Children with Autism

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rackeb Tesfaye ◽  
Nicola Wright ◽  
Anat Zaidman-Zait ◽  
Rachael Bedford ◽  
Lonnie Zwaigenbaum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Sleep Onset ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Behavioral Regulation ◽  
Sleep Habits ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Children With Asd

Study Objectives: Up to 80% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience sleep disturbance. Poor sleep impairs executive functioning (EF), a lifelong difficulty in ASD. Evidence suggests EF impairments in ASD is exacerbated by poor sleep. We examine whether early childhood sleep disturbances are associated with worsening EF trajectories in school-aged children with ASD. Methods: A subsample (n = 217) from the Pathways in ASD longitudinal study was analyzed. The Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire captured sleep duration, onset, and night awakenings before age 5 (Mean = 3.5 years). Metacognition (MI) and Behavioral Regulation (BRI) indices on the Teacher Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning measured EF difficulties at four time-points (7-11 years). We applied latent growth curve models to examine associations between sleep and EF, accounting for relevant covariates, including school-age sleep (Mean = 6.7 years). Results: Longer sleep onset at 3.5 years predicted a worsening BRI difficulties slope (b = 2.07, p < 0.04), but conversely predicted lower BRI difficulties at age 7.7 (b = -4.14, p = 0.04). A longer sleep onset at age 6.7 predicted higher BRI difficulties at age 7.7 (b = 7.78, p < 0.01). Longer sleep duration at age 6.7 predicted higher BRI difficulties at age 7.7 (b = 3.15, p = 0.01), but subscale analyses revealed shorter sleep duration at age 6.7 predicted a worsening inhibition slope (b = -0.597, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Different sleep phenotypes have different age-related impacts on selective behavioral regulation components, but not metacognition. Delayed sleep onset is a robust early predictor, whereas shorter sleep duration is a later predictor of worsening behavior regulation in school-aged children with ASD.

scholarly journals Reduced sleep pressure in young children with autism

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayelet Arazi ◽  
Gal Meiri ◽  
Dor Danan ◽  
Analya Michaelovski ◽  
Hagit Flusser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Slow Wave ◽  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Sleep Onset ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Wave Activity ◽  
Slow Wave Activity ◽  
Sleep Regulation ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Sleep Homeostasis

AbstractStudy ObjectivesSleep disturbances and insomnia are highly prevalent in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Sleep homeostasis, a fundamental mechanism of sleep regulation that generates pressure to sleep as a function of wakefulness, has not been studied in children with ASD so far, and its potential contribution to their sleep disturbances remains unknown. Here, we examined whether slow wave activity (SWA), a measure that is indicative of sleep pressure, differs in children with ASD.MethodsIn this case-control study, we compared overnight electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings that were performed during Polysomnography (PSG) evaluations of 29 children with ASD and 23 typically developing children.ResultsChildren with ASD exhibited significantly weaker SWA power, shallower SWA slopes, and a decreased proportion of slow wave sleep in comparison to controls. This difference was largest during the first two hours following sleep onset and decreased gradually thereafter. Furthermore, SWA power of children with ASD was significantly, negatively correlated with the time of their sleep onset in the lab and at home, as reported by parents.ConclusionsThese results suggest that children with ASD may have a dysregulation of sleep homeostasis that is manifested in reduced sleep pressure. The extent of this dysregulation in individual children was apparent in the amplitude of their SWA power, which was indicative of the severity of their individual sleep disturbances. We, therefore, suggest that disrupted homeostatic sleep regulation may contribute to sleep disturbances in children with ASD.Statement of significanceSleep disturbances are apparent in 40-80% of children with autism. Homeostatic sleep regulation, a mechanism that increases the pressure to sleep as a function of prior wakefulness, has not been studied in children with autism. Here, we compared Polysomnography exams of 29 children with autism and 23 matched controls. We found that children with autism exhibited reduced slow-wave-activity power and shallower slopes, particularly during the first two hours of sleep. This suggests that they develop less pressure to sleep. Furthermore, the reduction in slow-wave-activity was associated with the severity of sleep disturbances as observed in the laboratory and as reported by parents. We, therefore, suggest that disrupted homeostatic sleep regulation may contribute to sleep disturbances of children with autism.

scholarly journals GAMBARAN KETERAMPILAN SOSIAL EMOSI ANAK AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD) DI SEKOLAH PAUD INKLUSI BUNDA GANESA

Edukid ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aulia Rahmawati Dewi ◽  
Juhanaini Juhanaini ◽  
Aan Listiana
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Education School

The Description of Social Emotional Skills Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Paud Inklusi Bunda Ganesha.  Much research on emotional-social skills has been done; however, there is limited research on the emotional-social skills and stimulations for young children, especially those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Therefore, the writer attempts to conduct research on ASD children focusing on their emotional-social skills. The problem in this research is formulated this way: “How are the emotional-social skills of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Bunda Ganesa Early Childhood Education School described?” The research adopted a descriptive method with the qualitative approach. Qualitative research was selected because this research emphasizes investigative efforts to (naturally) study the on-going phenomena in the finding of the emotional-social skills of children with ASD at Bunda Ganesa Early Childhood Education School. The research involved a four-year-old boy diagnosed with ASD. The research was conducted from October 1 – November 7, 2014. The findings show that children with ASD experience some obstacles, which support the existing theories, where children with ASD have difficulties in communicating, tend to avoid eye contact (not focused), and have difficulties in using gestures to communicate. In addition, children with ASD are inclined to enjoy being alone and become disinterested in playing with their friends. In the field, it is not impossible that the writer finds obstacles and problems during the writing of this undergraduate thesis. Teachers and schools are recommended to pay more attention and help improve the development of children with ASD because children have much potential to develop. Gambaran Keterampilan Sosial Emosi Anak Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) di Sekolah PAUD Inklusi Bunda Ganesa. Berbagai Penelitian Keterampilan Sosial emosional telah banyak dilakukan, namun dalam penjelasan tentang keterampilan sosial emosional serta stimulasi bagi anak usia dini masih sangat terbatas terutama bagi anak ASD. Untuk itu penulis mencoba meneliti anak ASD mengenai keterampilan sosial emosinya. Rumusan masalah dalam penelitian ini adalah Bagaimana Gambaran Keterampilan Sosial Emosi Anak Autism Spectrum Disorder di Sekolah PAUD Inklusi Bunda Ganesa. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode deskriptif dengan pendekatan kualitatif. Penelitian kualitatif atau kajian kualitatif digunakan dalam penelitian ini karena penelitian ini menekankan pada upaya investigatif untuk mengkaji secara ( alamiah), fenomena yang tengah terjadi dalam mengetahui keterampilan sosial emosi anak Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) di sekolah PAUD Inklusi Bunda Ganesa. Subjek penelitian yang terlibat dalam penelitian ini adalah Anak laki-laki yang berusia 4 tahun yang di diagnosa mengalami Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Pelaksanaan dimulai dari tanggal 1 Oktober -7 November 2014. Hasil Penelitian yang ditemukan anak ASD ini mengalami beberapa hambatan yang sesuai dengan teori yang sudah ada, dimana anak yang mengalami ASD akan mengalami kesulitan berkomunikasi, ia akan menghindari kontak mata (tidak fokus), kesulitan dalam menggunakan sikap tubuh untuk berkomunikasi. Dan cenderung anak yang mengalami ASD ini lebih senang untuk menyendiri dan tidak tertarik untuk bermain bersama teman-temannya. Dalam pelaksanaan di lapangan penulis tidak menutup kemungkinan penulis menemui hambatan dan kendala-kendala yang muncul pada saat melakukan penulisan skripsi ini. Rekomendasi untuk Orangtua, Lembaga sekolah sebaiknya lebih memperhatikan dan membantu meningkatkan perkembangan anak ASD. Karna  ada beberapa perkembangan anak yang dapat terus dimotivasi agar berkembang.

scholarly journals The influence of visual supports and motivation on motor performance of the MABC-2 for Chinese school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyi Hu ◽  
Hui Wang ◽  
Zhuo Rachel Han ◽  
Yu Zhao ◽  
Li Ke
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Visual Supports ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Visual Support ◽  
Movement Assessment ◽  
Chinese School

AbstractThe influences of including visual supports and strategies to increase motivation for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in motor assessments were examined. 97 children with ASD and 117 age-matched typically developing (TD) children performed the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (MABC-2) under traditional, visual support, motivation, and visual support plus motivation protocols. Results showed that children with ASD elicited lower MABC-2 scores than TD children. Moreover, in children with ASD, the visual support protocol, but not the motivation protocol, produced higher scores on ball and balance skills than the traditional protocol. These findings indicated that children with ASD were developmentally delayed in motor skills; however, their performance may be improved by including visual supports in motor assessments.

scholarly journals Complexity of Body Movements during Sleep in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Entropy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 418
Author(s):  
Naoki Furutani ◽  
Tetsuya Takahashi ◽  
Nobushige Naito ◽  
Takafumi Maruishi ◽  
Yuko Yoshimura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Long Range ◽  
Body Movement ◽  
Sleep Onset ◽  
Temporal Correlation ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Body Movements ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Movement Complexity

Recently, measuring the complexity of body movements during sleep has been proven as an objective biomarker of various psychiatric disorders. Although sleep problems are common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and might exacerbate ASD symptoms, their objectivity as a biomarker remains to be established. Therefore, details of body movement complexity during sleep as estimated by actigraphy were investigated in typically developing (TD) children and in children with ASD. Several complexity analyses were applied to raw and thresholded data of actigraphy from 17 TD children and 17 children with ASD. Determinism, irregularity and unpredictability, and long-range temporal correlation were examined respectively using the false nearest neighbor (FNN) algorithm, information-theoretic analyses, and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). Although the FNN algorithm did not reveal determinism in body movements, surrogate analyses identified the influence of nonlinear processes on the irregularity and long-range temporal correlation of body movements. Additionally, the irregularity and unpredictability of body movements measured by expanded sample entropy were significantly lower in ASD than in TD children up to two hours after sleep onset and at approximately six hours after sleep onset. This difference was found especially for the high-irregularity period. Through this study, we characterized details of the complexity of body movements during sleep and demonstrated the group difference of body movement complexity across TD children and children with ASD. Complexity analyses of body movements during sleep have provided valuable insights into sleep profiles. Body movement complexity might be useful as a biomarker for ASD.

Increasing Social Interactions of Preschool Children With Autism Through Cooperative Outdoor Play

2021 ◽  
pp. 002246692110325
Author(s):  
Sonja M. T. Ziegler ◽  
Michael J. Morrier
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Multiple Baseline ◽  
Baseline Design ◽  
Peer Modeling ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Classroom Effects

Unstructured activity periods are central components of early childhood education programs. Deficits in social communication and social interaction presented by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) become apparent in these settings during unstructured activities, such as outdoor recess. Thirty-two preschool-aged children with and without ASD participated in the Buddy Game, a structured, cooperative play curriculum that focused on natural peer–peer modeling and imitation. The Buddy Game used familiar songs to promote peer proximity and discrete social bids between peers during outside time. A multiple baseline design across three classrooms was used to study curriculum effects on discrete social bids of children with ASD. Results demonstrated increased social bids from children with ASD to their peers with neurotypical development (NTD) across classrooms. In one classroom, effects maintained after intervention stopped and generalized to other times of the day. Implications for integrated educational settings and early childhood curricula are discussed.

scholarly journals Evaluating Effects of Aromatherapy Massage on Sleep in Children with Autism: A Pilot Study

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim I. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Sleep Onset ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Residential School ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Not Given ◽  
Lavender Oil ◽  
Repeated Measures Design ◽  
People With Dementia

Previous studies have found beneficial effects of aromatherapy massage for agitation in people with dementia, for pain relief and for poor sleep. Children with autism often have sleep difficulties, and it was thought that aromatherapy massage might enable more rapid sleep onset, less sleep disruption and longer sleep duration. Twelve children with autism and learning difficulties (2 girls and 10 boys aged between 12 years 2 months to 15 years 7 months) in a residential school participated in a within subjects repeated measures design: 3 nights when the children were given aromatherapy massage with lavender oil were compared with 14 nights when it was not given. The children were checked every 30 min throughout the night to determine the time taken for the children to settle to sleep, the number of awakenings and the sleep duration. One boy's data were not analyzed owing to lengthy absence. Repeated measures analysis revealed no differences in any of the sleep measures between the nights when the children were given aromatherapy massage and nights when the children were not given aromatherapy massage. The results suggest that the use of aromatherapy massage with lavender oil has no beneficial effect on the sleep patterns of children with autism attending a residential school. It is possible that there are greater effects in the home environment or with longer-term interventions.

scholarly journals The Effect of Weekends and Clock Changes on the Sleep Patterns of Children with Autism: A Study of Historical Records

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 21-28
Author(s):  
Tim I Williams
Keyword(s):  
Analysis Of Variance ◽  
Sleep Onset ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Time Change ◽  
Mean Difference ◽  
Residential School ◽  
Sleep Patterns ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Sleep Parameters

Background Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often have difficulties settling to sleep and maintaining asleep through the night. Sleep difficulties are linked to challenging behaviour so understanding the causes of these difficulties is vital. Possible explanations are: (1) that irregular innate cycles lead to difficulties maintaining/initiating sleep at the appropriate times; (2) that children with ASD fail to learn from the contingencies that teach neurotypical children to initiate and maintain sleep. If the cycles are innate then small externally imposed changes in routine will not affect the sleep cycle. Methods The sleep records of 46 children with autism and moderate to profound intellectual impairments attending a residential school were examined to identify the effects of spring time change and weekend leave on 1) the times children went to sleep, 2) the length of their sleep and 3) the number of sleep disruptions. Manual staff recordings of the children’s sleep were conducted and data for these variables were analysed using repeated measures analysis of variance. Results A later sleep time was found in children regarding their sleep onset on Sunday after the time change (average onset was 9:57 p.m. ((s.e. = 8.49 minutes) versus 10:17 p.m. (s.e. = 8.19 minutes), with analysis of variance of sleep onset time showing a significant effect (F (3,41) = 5.02, p = 0.005). However, only two out of three comparison groups showed statistically significant effects (March 23rd versus March 30th mean difference = 0.39, p = 0.003; March 30th April 13th mean difference = 0.36, p = 0.03). No statistical difference was found between March 30th versus April 6th or other sleep parameters in any groups (i.e., sleep duration or night time awakenings). Similarly, no change in any sleep parameters (i.e., sleep onset or awakenings) were found when Sundays sleep parameters were compared to Mondays and/or Tuesdays. Conclusions In this small pilot study, small changes of day/night cycles appear to have few effects on the sleep patterns of children with ASD attending a residential school. While no significant sleep pattern change was found in this population due to change of clock times or weekend visits, larger epidemiological studies addressing other unexamined variables to better delineate changes in ASD are needed.

scholarly journals Reduced sleep pressure in young children with autism

SLEEP ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayelet Arazi ◽  
Gal Meiri ◽  
Dor Danan ◽  
Analya Michaelovski ◽  
Hagit Flusser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Slow Wave ◽  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Slow Wave Sleep ◽  
Sleep Onset ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Sleep Regulation ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Sleep Homeostasis

Abstract Study Objectives Sleep disturbances and insomnia are highly prevalent in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Sleep homeostasis, a fundamental mechanism of sleep regulation that generates pressure to sleep as a function of wakefulness, has not been studied in children with ASD so far, and its potential contribution to their sleep disturbances remains unknown. Here, we examined whether slow-wave activity (SWA), a measure that is indicative of sleep pressure, differs in children with ASD. Methods In this case-control study, we compared overnight electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings that were performed during Polysomnography (PSG) evaluations of 29 children with ASD and 23 typically developing children. Results Children with ASD exhibited significantly weaker SWA power, shallower SWA slopes, and a decreased proportion of slow-wave sleep in comparison to controls. This difference was largest during the first 2 hours following sleep onset and decreased gradually thereafter. Furthermore, SWA power of children with ASD was significantly negatively correlated with the time of their sleep onset in the lab and at home, as reported by parents. Conclusions These results suggest that children with ASD may have a dysregulation of sleep homeostasis that is manifested in reduced sleep pressure. The extent of this dysregulation in individual children was apparent in the amplitude of their SWA power, which was indicative of the severity of their individual sleep disturbances. We, therefore, suggest that disrupted homeostatic sleep regulation may contribute to sleep disturbances in children with ASD.

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