Sleep features in children with autism spectrum disorder measured by wearable device

Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are reported to suffer from sleep disorders at a higher rate than children with typical developing (TD) children. Previous study using polysomnography reported that sleep disorders in children with ASD are associated with social disability. Because the depth of sleep is reflected in body movement, quantification of body movement with an accelerometer is also used for evaluation of sleep. On the other hand, no study has focused on the time‐course pattern of nocturnal body movement in children with ASD. We compared the time course of nocturnal body movement in children with ASD with those in typically developing children (TD) using a wearable accelerometer. Seventeen TD children aged 5‐8 years and 17 ASD children participated in this study. As a result, body movement for 2‐3 hours after onset of sleep onset was more frequent in children with ASD. Furthermore, more frequent body movement was associated with low social ability in both children.