Journal article
Methodological Approaches to Sleep Measures in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder – A Systematic Review
Current Sleep Medicine Reports, Vol.12(1), pp.1-15
2026
Appears in Thompson Institute Research Collection
Abstract
Purpose of review
Given the prevalence and significance of sleep difficulties in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), several interventional studies using diverse sleep measurement tools have recently emerged. This systematic review assesses the methodology quality of frequently used sleep measurement tools in interventional RCT studies involving children with ASD, and it recommends a methodological approach to evaluating sleep outcomes.
Recent findings
This review process followed PRISMA guidelines. All 39 identified interventional RCTs involved children with ASD (<18 years old), of which they were of low (n = 2, 5%), moderate (n = 13, 33%), and high (n = 24, 62%) quality. The Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ, n = 22), actigraphy (ACT, n = 12), and the Sleep and Nap Diaries (SNDs, n = 11) were the most frequently used sleep measurement tools. Most studies (n=28, 72%) chose single and or subjective sleep measurement tools, and their methodologies generally had moderate to high compliance with reporting criteria: none employed polysomnography (PSG).
Summary
This review revealed that the quality of interventional RCT studies within the population was generally optimal; however, using single and subjective sleep measurement tools was a notable limitation. Future research that combines PSG, ACT, sleep questionnaires such as CSHQ, and SNDs is recommended as a robust methodological approach to evaluating sleep outcomes in children with ASD during interventional RCT studies.
Details
- Title
- Methodological Approaches to Sleep Measures in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder – A Systematic Review
- Authors
- Uchenna Ezedinma (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine CoastScott Burgess - Queensland Children's Lung and Sleep Specialists (Australia)Evan Jones - University of the Sunshine CoastShauna Fjaagesund - University of the Sunshine CoastAlexandra Metse - University of the Sunshine CoastTerri Downer - University of the Sunshine CoastFlorin Oprescu - University of the Sunshine Coast
- Publication details
- Current Sleep Medicine Reports, Vol.12(1), pp.1-15
- Publisher
- Springer
- Date published
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.1007/s40675-026-00354-2
- ISSN
- 2198-6401
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Data Availability
- No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.
- Grant note
- This study received funding from TMS IP Pty, Queensland’s Children Sleep Specialist Clinic, Australia and the University of Sunshine Coast, Australia, with grant number 1.043.08529.
- Organisation Unit
- Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; Centre for International Development, Social Entrepreneurship and Leadership; School of Health; Thompson Institute; Engage Research Lab; School of Health - Psychology; School of Health - Midwifery; School of Health - Public Health
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991214181402621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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