From Alert Child to Sleepy Adolescent: Age Trends in Chronotype, Social Jetlag, and Sleep Problems in Youth with Autism.
Briana J Taylor, Kahsi A Pedersen, Carla A Mazefsky and 4 others
PMID 38017309WHAT IT FOUND
Sleep problems in autistic adolescents shift as they age.
Night waking and co-sleeping decrease, but daytime sleepiness increases. This rise in sleepiness is linked to a later biological clock, which is more pronounced in those with severe social communication deficits.
Key findings
01Older age was associated with a later chronotype, more social jetlag, and fewer sleep anxiety or night waking problems, but more daytime alertness problems.
02A later chronotype was associated with more sleep anxiety and daytime alertness problems, and it mediated the link between age and daytime sleepiness.
03Higher severity of social affect symptoms strengthened the association between age and a later chronotype.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was highly impaired and in crisis, so results may not apply to autistic youth in the community. Sleep data relied on parent report, which can be biased. The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot prove that age causes these sleep changes. Participants with complete data had higher daytime sleepiness scores, suggesting some selection bias.
Declared interests
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these findings apply to all autistic children. The sample was drawn from psychiatric inpatients with high levels of impairment and crisis, which may exaggerate or distort typical sleep patterns compared to community-based youth.