Vargas Cristina, Paoletti Daniela, De Stasio Simona, Berenguer Carmen
University of Valencia, Spain.
LUMSA University, Italy.
Autism. 2025 Jul;29(7):1661-1673. doi: 10.1177/13623613251319391. Epub 2025 Feb 19.
Sleep disturbances are one of the most common comorbidities in autistic children and adolescence. Considering the impact of sleep disorders on development and daily functioning, it is important to know which treatments are considered effective in literature. This systematic review and meta-analysis study specifically aimed to investigate the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for the treatment of sleep disorders in autistic children and adolescents without intellectual disability. Search across PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science were identified 11 randomized controlled trial studies published between 2012 and 2024 that met the inclusion criteria. The results indicate that the interventions considered (Behavioral/psychological, Physical activity, and Somatosensory sleep interventions) significantly improve sleep parameters in this population ( < 0.05). Objective data from actigraphy show an increase in total sleep time and sleep efficiency and a reduction in sleep onset latency. The results also show an improvement in sleep quality assessed through the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire filled out by parents. This study is one of the first to examine through a meta-analysis the positive impact of non-pharmacological therapies in the treatment of sleep disorders in autistic children and adolescents without intellectual disability. Alternative treatments are essential, particularly for those who are intolerant to medication, as it allows clinicians to provide effective interventions tailored to this population.Lay AbstractSleep disorders are common in people on the autistic spectrum and can affect their development, daily function, and overall well-being. This study examined the effectiveness of non-pharmacological intervention to improve sleep in autistic children and adolescents without intellectual disability. We considered 11 studies of non-pharmacological treatments for autistic children and adolescents. The results indicate that these interventions help to improve several sleep parameters, either by increasing, for example, the total time and quality of sleep, or by reducing the time needed for falling asleep. These approaches offer important treatment options especially for those cases where medication is not feasible, allowing physicians and specialists to propose more targeted and safer solutions for managing sleep difficulties in this population.
睡眠障碍是自闭症儿童和青少年中最常见的共病之一。考虑到睡眠障碍对发育和日常功能的影响，了解文献中哪些治疗方法被认为是有效的很重要。这项系统评价和荟萃分析研究专门旨在调查非药物干预对治疗无智力残疾的自闭症儿童和青少年睡眠障碍的有效性。通过检索PubMed、PsycINFO、Scopus和科学网，确定了2012年至2024年期间发表的11项符合纳入标准的随机对照试验研究。结果表明，所考虑的干预措施（行为/心理、体育活动和体感睡眠干预）显著改善了该人群的睡眠参数（<0.05）。来自活动记录仪的客观数据显示总睡眠时间和睡眠效率增加，入睡潜伏期缩短。结果还显示，通过家长填写的儿童睡眠习惯问卷评估的睡眠质量有所改善。这项研究是最早通过荟萃分析研究非药物疗法对无智力残疾的自闭症儿童和青少年睡眠障碍治疗的积极影响的研究之一。替代疗法至关重要，特别是对于那些不耐受药物治疗的人，因为它使临床医生能够为该人群提供量身定制的有效干预措施。
睡眠障碍在自闭症谱系人群中很常见，会影响他们的发育、日常功能和整体幸福感。本研究考察了非药物干预对改善无智力残疾的自闭症儿童和青少年睡眠的有效性。我们纳入了11项针对自闭症儿童和青少年的非药物治疗研究。结果表明，这些干预措施有助于改善多个睡眠参数，例如通过增加睡眠总时长和质量，或者减少入睡所需时间。这些方法提供了重要的治疗选择，特别是对于那些药物治疗不可行的情况，使医生和专家能够为管理该人群的睡眠困难提出更有针对性和更安全的解决方案。
