"Sleep Patterns and EEG Structure in Youth With Autism: Links With Behavior and Parental Stress"

University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Sleep Disorder (Disorder); Autism Spectrum Disorder

Treatments: Diagnostic Test: Questionnaires about autism spectrum disorders and sleep and PSG.; Diagnostic Test: ADOS-2, ADI-R, SRS-2, PSG

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07122388

217

Details and patient eligibility

About

This retrospective observational study is designed to investigate sleep patterns, as well as both the macrostructure and microstructure of sleep, in a large cohort of children and adolescents diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The study will utilize data derived from overnight polysomnographic recordings, providing objective and comprehensive measures of sleep architecture.

The sample consists of 187 patients, aged between 3 and 16 years, whose sleep data were collected over a ten-year period, from 2003 to 2013. In addition to polysomnographic parameters, the study will incorporate a wide range of behavioral and parental stress-related variables. These will be assessed using validated, standardized instruments, including the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC), Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2), Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and the Parenting Stress Index - Short Form (PSI-SF).

By integrating objective sleep data with behavioral and psychosocial measures, this study aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of the nature and extent of sleep disturbances in individuals with ASD. Particular attention will be paid to identifying potential correlations between specific sleep alterations (e.g., changes in sleep efficiency, REM latency, arousals, or cyclic alternating patterns) and behavioral symptoms or parental stress profiles.

Ultimately, the findings are expected to contribute to the development of more precise and individualized diagnostic frameworks, as well as inform evidence-based therapeutic strategies. These insights could be of considerable clinical relevance, given the high prevalence of sleep disorders in the ASD population and their significant impact on daytime functioning, emotional regulation, and family quality of life.

Enrollment: 187 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 3 to 18 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Age: 3-18 years
• Sex: Both male and female
• Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, including both verbal and non-verbal subjects
• Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, with or without a comorbid genetic syndrome or other neurodevelopmental disorders

Exclusion criteria

• Neuropsychiatric disorders other than autism
• Epilepsy
• Age under 3 years or over 18 years
• Comorbidity with another severe psychiatric disorder (e.g., psychosis, schizophrenia)

Trial design

187 participants in 1 patient group

Autism spectrum disorder

Description:

Subjects with SRS-2 positive screening and confirmed by ADOS-2 evaluation

Treatment:

Diagnostic Test: ADOS-2, ADI-R, SRS-2, PSG

Diagnostic Test: Questionnaires about autism spectrum disorders and sleep and PSG.