Collateral Child and Parent Effects of FunctionâBased Behavioral Interventions for Sleep Problems in Children and Adolescents with Autism

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 52; no. 5; p. 2258
• Main Authors: McLay, Laurie L, France, Karyn G, Blampied, Neville M, Hunter, Jolene E, van Deurs, Jenna R, Woodford, Emma C, Gibbs, Rosina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Springer 01.05.2022
• Subjects: Care and treatment; Complications and side effects; Development and progression; Health aspects; Parents; Pediatric research; Pervasive developmental disorders; Physiological aspects; Risk factors; Sleep disorders; New Zealand
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05116-3

This study follows McLay et al., Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, (2020) to investigate whether the function-based behavioral sleep interventions received by 41 children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) produced collateral improvements in ASD severity, internalizing and externalizing symptoms and parent relationship quality, ratings of depression, anxiety and stress, and personal sleep quality. Concomitant with reduced sleep problem severity, improvements were found in children's internalizing and externalizing behavior and ASD symptom severity. Small improvements were also found in maternal sleep quality and parental stress. There was little change in parental relationship quality post-treatment, possibly reflecting high baseline scores. Overall, collateral benefits were generally small but positive, consistent with the limited extant research, and underscore the importance of investigating collateral effects across a range of variables.