A Practice Pathway for the Treatment of Night Wakings in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Anjalee W Galion, Justin G Farmer, Heidi V Connolly and 8 others
PMID 37358787WHAT IT FOUND
Night wakings in children with autism spectrum disorder are common, but treatment evidence is mostly low or very low.
Melatonin and parent or behavioral approaches had mixed results, so start with screening and checking medical contributors rather than assuming a single fix.
Key findings
01Of the 26 articles addressing treatment, 23 had low or very low evidence, and none had high evidence.
02Melatonin studies showed mixed results: seven reported reduced night wakings, and six reported no significant reduction.
03The study with the largest sample, 210 children, reported a night waking prevalence of 34%.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
No consistent definition or measure for night wakings across studies. Most studies relied on parent report, which may overestimate sleep problems. Treatment evidence was mostly low or very low, with small samples and few randomized trials. The pathway is based on expert consensus, not tested interventions.
Declared interests
The funder was the Health Resources and Services Administration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that melatonin or parent education reliably reduces night wakings. The review found mixed results and mostly low or very low evidence, so treatment choices still require individual assessment and follow-up.