Exploring the Relationship Between Communication Skills and Sleep Problems in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Background:  Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other developmental disabilities commonly experience sleep problems, primarily consisting of difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep. Previous research has demonstrated that sleep problems in children with ASD often impact daytime functioning (e.g., attention, drowsiness, social skills and behavior problems) (Sheldon, 2001, Stores, 2001). In typically developing children sleep deprivation has been shown to impact verbal abilities; however, few studies have examined the relationship between sleep problems and communication in children with ASD (Schreck, Mulick, & Smith, 2004). 

Objectives:  The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between communication skills and sleep problems in children diagnosed with ASD and children diagnosed with non-ASD impairments (i.e., language delays and developmental delays). 

Methods:  The current sample consists of 51 children (ages 2-7, M = 4.16 years, SD = 1.32 years) who received a comprehensive, interdisciplinary ASD evaluation using the ADOS and the ADI-R. Additionally, each child’s expressive and receptive language abilities were assessed using the Preschool Language Scale (PLS) and sleep habits were assessed through caregiver report. The ASD group consists of 8 children with sleep problems and 23 children without sleep problems. The clinical comparison group consists of 7 children with sleep problems and 14 children without sleep problems. Data collection is ongoing and it is anticipated that there will be at least 20 children with sleep difficulties in both groups in the coming year. 

Results:  Preliminary analyses indicate that in the ASD group, children who had sleep problems obtained lower receptive language scores (M = 56.02, SD = 10.92) than those who did not have sleep problems (M = 63.33, SD = 10.70). In contrast, when examining expressive language abilities, children with sleep problems (M = 73.67, SD = 18.76) and those without sleep problems (M = 71.30, SD = 15.94) obtained similar scores. No group differences in communication skills based on sleep problems have been found in the clinical comparison group. Further investigation is planned, including utilizing ADOS severity scores as a covariate. 

Conclusions:  A better understanding of the relationship between sleep problems and language abilities may have important implications for understanding one of the core deficits of ASD. Additionally, these data provide support for the idea that treating sleep problems in individuals with ASD may improve daytime functioning.