Targeting Insomnia in School Aged Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and insomnia, and their parent(s) will undergo 4 sessions of behavioral therapy for sleep problems followed by 4 bimonthly booster sessions. Children and their families will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions: cognitive behavioral therapy (in-person), cognitive behavioral therapy (remote), or behavioral therapy (remote). Arousal will be measured through heart-rate variability. Sleep and secondary outcomes (child daytime behavior, parent sleep) will be collected at baseline (weeks 1-2 before starting the treatment), post-treatment (weeks 6-8 from baseline), 6-month follow-up, and 12-month follow-up.
• 1\) 6-12a yrs
• 2\) Verbal IQ \>= 70
• 3\) participation of child's parent or legal guardian living in the same home
• 4\) parent/guardian ability to read and understand English at the 5th-grade level
• 5\) child diagnosed with ASD and insomnia
⁃ ASD:
• 1\) previous DSM diagnosis of ASD
• 2\) evaluation using gold-standard diagnostic tools (i.e., Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and/or Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised \[ADI-R\])
⁃ Insomnia:
• 1\) complaints of difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep, or early morning awakening by child report or parent observation for 3+ mos
• 2\) daytime dysfunction (mood, cognitive, social, academic) due to insomnia
• 3\) baseline diaries and actigraphy indicate \>30 mins. of sleep onset latency, wake after sleep onset, or early morning awakening (time between last awakening and out of bed time) on 6+ nights