Attributions, causal beliefs, and help-seeking behavior of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder and sleep problems.

Sleep problems are commonly reported among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Without effective treatment, such problems are unlikely to resolve. To date, we know very little about how and why parents of children with ASD seek help for sleep disturbance. Via an online survey, we gathered information about how parents make sense of their children's sleep problems, beliefs about their causes, sources of information, and help-seeking behavior. The analysis of responses from 244 parents revealed that parents commonly view sleep problems (a) as a consequence of their child's ASD, and unlikely to change over time (stable), and (b) as located within the child (intrinsic), stable over time, and difficult to treat. Despite this, parents also rated sleep problems as being important to treat. Eighty-two percent of parents surveyed reported seeking some kind of help for their child's sleep disturbance, and the average parent had tried six different treatment strategies, most commonly medical approaches (e.g. melatonin). The alignment between parents' treatment choices and those strategies that are supported by research was poor, but belief in the effectiveness of treatments was closely related to how often the treatment was used. These findings have important implications for parental education and clinical practice in the treatment of sleep problems in children with ASD.