No abstract

Few researchers have investigated the relation of children's sleep problems to their parents' sleep problems. Children with autism have been reported to evidence greater sleep problems than do typically developing children (C. D. Hoffman, D. P. Sweeney, J. E. Gilliam, & M. C. Lopez-Wagner, 2006; P. G. William, L. L. Sears, & A. Allard, 2004). In the present study, parents (N = 106) of children independently diagnosed with autism (4-16 years of age; M= 8.20 years, SD = 2.69 years) reported greater sleep problems for themselves than did parents (N = 168) of typically developing children (4-15 years of age; M = 8.62 years, SD = 3.28 years). Children's sleep problems were related to parents' sleep problems for both groups; in the autism group, children's level of symptomatology was not related to their parents' sleep. The authors suggest areas for further research on the sleep problems of children and their parents, the potential interaction of these problems with children's symptomatic behavior, and the relations of these factors to child, parent, and family functioning.

Mothers of children diagnosed with autism (N = 104) reported higher levels of stress than mothers of typically developing children (N = 342) on 13 of 14 subscales of the Parenting Stress Index. The only scores that did not differ were from the Attachment subscale, which indicates lack of emotional closeness and rather cold patterns of parent-child interaction. Mean Child Domain subscale scores for mothers in the autism group were at the 99th percentile; mean scores on the Attachment subscale were at about the 50th percentile for both groups. Despite substantial stress, mothers of children with autism report close relationships with their children. Results substantiate the need to develop interventions to help these mothers reduce their stress.

The study employed 90 children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) who were matched to 90 typically developing children on age, gender, and ethnicity. Using structural equation modeling, maternal sleep and maternal stress mediated the relationship between children's sleep and mothers' mental health for mothers of children with and without ASDs. Mothers of children with ASDs reported more problems related to children's sleep, their own sleep, greater stress, and poorer mental health; however, children's sleep and maternal sleep were more closely related to maternal stress for mothers of typically developing children. Implications of these findings and future directions for research are discussed.

The present study was carried out to further our understanding of the relationship between children's specific sleep difficulties and the diagnostic criteria for autism and, thereby, to inform the development of sleep treatment approaches tailored for individual children. Parents, participating in research that is part of a center-based intervention program for children with developmental disabilities and their families, reported on their children's (N = 80; ranging from 4 to 15 years old, M = 8.2 years) sleep and autism. Significant correlations between children's sleep problems and the diagnostic domains of autism were obtained. Sleep-disordered breathing predicted children's stereotyped behavior, social interaction problems, and overall level of autism; the Parasomnias subscale was the primary predictor of children's developmental disturbances. Further research is required to examine the relationship of these and other specific sleep problems, as well as comorbid conditions and current medications, to children's sleep duration and increased daytime symptomology.