Sleep disorders in children with neurodevelopmental disorders: Comparative actigraphy and questionnaire assessment in ASD, ADHD, and controls.

This study looked at sleep problems in children with autism and ADHD compared to typically developing children. Researchers used wrist-worn sleep trackers and parent questionnaires to measure sleep. Children with autism and ADHD had worse sleep - they took longer to fall asleep, woke up more during the night, and parents reported more sleep problems. The sleep trackers were well-tolerated by most children (88%).

However, what parents reported didn't always match what the sleep trackers showed, suggesting both methods provide valuable but different information about sleep issues.

This comparative study examined sleep patterns in 60 children with neurodevelopmental disorders (30 with ASD, 30 with ADHD) and 40 typically developing controls using both actigraphy and parent questionnaires. Children with NDDs demonstrated significantly worse sleep quality, including lower sleep efficiency (82.0% vs 87.3%) and longer wake periods after sleep onset (78.8 vs 52.7 minutes) compared to controls. Parent-reported sleep disturbance scores were also significantly higher in the NDD groups. Importantly, actigraphy was well-tolerated (88% completion rate) in children with NDDs.

However, agreement between objective actigraphy measures and subjective parent questionnaires was limited (53% in NDD groups, 15% in controls), suggesting these methods capture different aspects of sleep disturbance.

Actigraphy should be considered as a routine clinical tool for sleep assessment in children with NDDs given its tolerability and objective measurement capabilities. Multimethod approaches combining both objective and subjective measures may provide more comprehensive sleep evaluation than either method alone.

Sample size details not fully specified. Study design type unclear. Limited to seven nights of recording which may not capture typical sleep patterns. Cross-sectional design prevents assessment of sleep pattern changes over time. Unclear if groups were matched for other relevant variables beyond age.

Sleep disturbances are highly prevalent in children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), yet few studies have combined objective and subjective measures. The objectives of this study were to evaluate sleep patterns and sleep hygiene in children with ADHD and ASD compared age-matched typically developing children, using both parent-reported questionnaires and actigraphy, to assess the concordance between these measures, and to determine the clinical applicability of actigraphy in this population. Sixty children with NDD (30 ASD, 30 ADHD) and 40 typically developing controls, matched for age, underwent seven nights of actigraphic recording. Parents completed the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) and Family Inventory of Sleep Habits (FISH).

Actigraphy was well tolerated in the NDD group (88 %), consistent with previous findings. Compared to TD controls, children with NDDs showed significantly higher SDSC scores (p < 0.001) and poorer actigraphic sleep parameters, including lower sleep efficiency (82.0 % vs 87.3 %, p < 0.001) and longer wake after sleep onset (78.8 vs 52.7 min, p < 0.001). Concordance between actigraphy and SDSC was limited (≈53 % in NDD; 15 % in TD). No significant group differences were found in sleep hygiene, although FISH scores correlated with selected actigraphic parameters only in controls.

Sleep disturbances are highly prevalent in NDD, and actigraphy is a reliable, well-tolerated tool for clinical assessment. Given the limited agreement between actigraphy and questionnaires, multimethod approaches may be necessary. Actigraphy should be considered for integration into routine clinical practice to improve sleep evaluation in pediatric NDD populations.