Definition
Sleep problems may contribute to, and be exacerbated by, specific behavioral challenges in individuals with ASD, including restricted and repetitive behaviors.
Historical Background
Sleep problems are common in childhood and throughout the lifespan. Approximately 20–30% of typically developing children experience sleep difficulties, with the most common problems including difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. Among adolescents and adults, sleep problems are more often labeled as insomnia (Meltzer and Mindell 2014). Population-based studies of adults conducted around the world suggest that approximately 30% of adults experience one or more symptoms of insomnia. Sleep problems occur even more frequently in children and adults with neurodevelopmental and psychiatric comorbidities (Krakowiak et al. 2008; Richdale and Schreck 2009).
Most of the research on sleep disturbance in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been conducted on child and adolescent populations. Children...
References and Reading
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Hundley, R., Malow, B. (2020). Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors and Sleep Disturbances in ASD. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102371-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102371-1
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