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Saturday, July 12, 2008

Research Shows I'm Tired

Kristina at Autism Vox linked to Translating Autism's review of a study on sleep patterns in children. The findings?
Children with autism slept significantly less during a 24 hours cycle than children with other developmental disabilities and typically developing kids. In regards to awakening events during the night, typically developing children had more awakenings than children with autism, but the awakenings episodes of children with autism were significantly longer. This suggests that while children with autism do not seem to have difficulty staying asleep, they do experience difficulty falling asleep after sleep interruptions.

In regards to parental reports about their children sleep patterns, parents of children with autism reported significantly more sleep difficulties than parents of typically developing kids but not significantly more than those reported by parents of children with other developmental problems. However, parents of children with autism reported significantly more personal stress than parents in the two comparison groups.
I love it when research has my back. I'd say more, but right now, I'm too tired to blog about autism and sleep deprivation. Maybe some other time.
Posted by at 5:27 AM
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9 comments:

  1. It's like they were in my freaking house.

    Must go to bed soon.
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  2. Sophie in the MoonlightJul 13, 2008 09:58 AM
    I've got a 2 1/2 yr old who still wakes up at night, but I have the hope and a prayer that someday soon I will get a full night's rest on a consistent basis. My bed looks that that time-lapse commercial starting with the parents in bed on their own and then the toddler comes in and then the older child and of course they are all sprawled arms wide in the middle of the bed and the parents are on opposite sides clinging to the edges so they don't fall off. So I have total sympathy with you, but i also know that my stage will most likely end before yours does, and for that you have my complete love and wishes that you will be in the statistical side of getting sleep regularly sooner rather than later.

    Smooches to your sleepy head.
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  3. I have one week left to catch up on 3 months of sleep deprivation!

    As for autistic kiddos having a difficult time falling asleep, I haven't seen that with my nephew. As a matter of fact, he doesn't have to be told twice to go to sleep. He lies his head down and poof, he's in la la land!!
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  4. I've always wondered how you do it.
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  5. I can't believe they have to do studies to figure this stuff out. I stand in awe of your dedication and mothering skills.
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  6. ummmmm....yeah! I could have told them that. M did not sleep through the night until she was nine and when she was up...she was up for hours on end. She could never be left alone for even a minute. I know that is a reason my health has been so bad. Lack of sleep and bizarre sleep patterns are so unhealthy. But, what can you do?
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  7. TC takes meds to go to sleep. Otherwise he is all over the place til midnight or later.
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  8. ‘Tis good to know these things we sense have ‘science’ behind them. Of course, it doesn’t do much to prevent or make up for the sleep deprivation does it? I wonder if there's similar research about 'lab owners' and/or 'bloggers' and sleep deprivation???
    Hugs and blessings,
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  9. [...] and I go out regularly without our children, but until recently we had never been away overnight. Difficulties with sleep are common among children with autism, and my son has only just (at age seven) settled into [...]
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