Objectives: This paper identifies the specific relationships among cognitive ability, adaptive behavior and sleep problems for children with autism.
Methods: Archival assessment data (i.e., IQ scores, adaptive behavior scores, and sleep problem scores) from an autism assessment clinic were recorded for N = 335 children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder by clinical psychologists. Parental report of sleep problems on the Behavioral Evaluation of Disorders of Sleep were correlated with domain scores for each of the cognitive and adaptive measures.
Results: Results suggested that children who slept more hours per night had higher overall intelligence, verbal skills, overall adaptive functioning, daily living skills, socialization skills, and motor development. Children who slept more at night without waking during the night had fewer communication problems. Breathing related sleep problems and fewer hours of sleep related most often to problems with perceptual tasks.
Conclusions: This paper supports relationships between quality sleep and day-time functioning for children with autism. Identifying relationships between specific cognitive and adaptive skills influenced by disturbed sleep allows clinicians and researchers to more accurately develop treatment and remediation.