A Practice Pathway for the Treatment of Night Wakings in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Anjalee Galion, Justin G. Farmer, Heidi Connolly, Virginia D. Allhusen, Amanda Bennett, Daniel L. Coury, Janet Lam, Ann M. Neumeyer, Kristin Sohl, Manisha Witmans, Beth A. Malow
Abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) report high rates of sleep problems. In 2012, the Autism Treatment Network/ Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health (ATN/AIR-P) Sleep Committee developed a pathway to address these concerns. Since its publication, ATN/AIR-P clinicians and parents have identified night wakings as a refractory problem unaddressed by the pathway. We reviewed the existing literature and identified 76 scholarly articles that provided data on night waking in children with ASD. Based on the available literature, we propose an updated practice pathway to identify and treat night wakings in children with ASD.