Prevalence of Sleep Disorders in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Literature Review

Abstract

Introduction: International studies indicate that the prevalence of sleep disorders in children with autism ranges from 40% to 80%. It is vitally important to recognize the importance of these comorbidity to diagnose them early and impact the future of the child and their family. Objective: To determine the evidence on the prevalence of sleep disorders, which disorders are most common, the predominant sex of presentation, the commonly used diagnostic tools, and the relationship between behavior, sensory disturbances, and sleep in children with autism spectrum disorder. Materials and methods: A literature review was conducted using the PRISMA 2020 methodology, searching for information in the search engines PubMed and Science Direct. Of 408 studies found, 15 were included. Results: Many studies demonstrated a high prevalence of sleep disorders, ranging from 47.5% to 95.6%. In almost all studies, the most reported sleep disorder was insomnia. The sex most frequently reported sleep disorders were male. Studies used validated subjective tools to obtain information on sleep quality. Some found a relationship between sleep disorders, sensory difficulties, and behavior. Conclusion: Sleep disorders are a major comorbidity reported worldwide and highly prevalent among children with autism spectrum disorder. They should be taken into consideration when evaluating and proposing a therapeutic plan for this population.