The Relationship between Sleep Hygiene and Behaviour in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background: According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), proper sleep participation is needed in order to fully engage in other occupations(1). However, AOTA does not address the occupation of sleep as a... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), proper sleep participation is needed in order to fully engage in other occupations(1). However, AOTA does not address the occupation of sleep as a focus within occupational therapy(2).

Method:
Caregivers will complete an online survey regarding their children ages 4 to 10 with ASD. The survey is comprised of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Family Inventory of Sleep Habits (FISH), and additional supplemental questions to understand children’s sleep hygiene and daytime behaviour (3,4).

Results:
Qualitative and quantitative data will be collected from the surveys. The relationship between sleep hygiene and daytime behaviour will be measured using correlations.

Conclusion:
We predict that good sleep hygiene (high score on FISH) will negatively correlate with good daytime behaviour (low score on SDQ).

Application to Practice:
Understanding the correlations between sleep hygiene and various factors of daytime behaviour will help identify common difficulties that need to be addressed in treatment. By addressing these factors, occupational therapists can better educate children and their families on optimal sleep preparation routines.

References
1. American Occupational Therapy Association (2014) ‘Occupational therapy practice framework: domain and process. AJOT, 68, pp. S20.
2. American Occupational Therapy Association (2011). Occupational Therapy Roles in Autism. Available at http://www.aota.org/-/media/Corporate/Files/AboutOT/Professionals/WhatIsOT/CY/Fact-Sheets/Autism%20fact%20sheet.pdf (Accessed on 1 October 2015).
3. Goodman, R (2005) SDQ. Available at http://www.sdqinfo.org/ (Accessed on 1 October 2015).
4. Malow, B.A., et al. (2009) ‘A sleep habit questionnaire for children with autism spectrum disorders’, Journal of child neurology, 24 (1), pp.19-24