Infants with Sleep Onset Problems More Likely to be Diagnosed with Autism

Infants who experienced sleep onset problems during the first year of life were significantly more likely to be diagnosed later with autism spectrum disorder, according to results of a longitudinal neuroimaging study published in American Journal of Psychiatry. "Given the high prevalence of sleep problems among children with autism, it is likely that many children are not benefiting as much from intervention and other learning opportunities as they could if they were sleeping better," Katherine E. MacDuffie, PhD,of the department of speech and hearing sciences at University of Washington in Seattle, told Healio Psychiatry. "Our findings highlight the importance of studying sleep problems early in development among children with autism, and developing new interventions that specifically target sleep problems in this population." Read More