Sleep Problems Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, and Typical Development.
Thaisa Silva Gios, Tatiana Pontrelli Mecca, Lucas Eiji Kataoka and 2 others
PMID 36323992WHAT IT FOUND
Children with autism spectrum disorder had more parent-reported sleep problems than children with Down syndrome or typical development.
During the pandemic, children went to bed and woke later and had more night awakenings.
Key findings
01Children with autism spectrum disorder had higher total sleep problem scores than children with Down syndrome or typical development (54.37, 51.15, and 51.41), and the paper reports small effect sizes.
02In the full sample, bedtime was reported as 9:24pm before the pandemic and 10:56pm during the pandemic, wake time as 7:15am before and 8:37am during, and night awakenings as 1.48 before and 2.02 during.
03Lower total sleep problem scores were associated with engaging in physical activity and having a health care professional at home; more children in social isolation also had fewer sleep problems.
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 recruited through social media and was a convenience sample, so it may not represent all children with autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, or typical development. Most caregivers had higher education or graduate studies, which may not reflect the wider Brazilian population. Autism spectrum disorder and Down syndrome diagnoses were reported by caregivers, not confirmed in the paper. Sleep before the pandemic was reported during the pandemic, so memory and current circumstances may have affected the before-pandemic values. The study did not ask whether the child had been diagnosed with COVID-19, which could affect sleep. The Child Sleep Habits Questionnaire is described as used for children aged 4 to 10 years, but this study included children up to 12 years. This was an observational survey, so it cannot show that the pandemic caused sleep changes or that physical activity, isolation, or a health care professional at home improved sleep. Many group differences had small effect sizes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the pandemic caused these sleep changes or that physical activity improved sleep. This was a parent-report survey, and before-pandemic sleep was recalled during the pandemic, so it shows reported differences and associations, not cause.