SynthesisPloS one2019
Effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for insomnia in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 41 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sleep Disorders in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Diagnosis, Epidemiology, and Management.CNS drugs · 2020Pooled it
- Randomised Controlled Trial of a Behavioural Sleep Intervention, 'Sleeping Sound', for Autistic Children: 12-Month Outcomes and Moderators of Treatment.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2024Trial
- Sleep Disturbances in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Scoping Review of Clinical Features, Impact and Interventions.Indian journal of psychological medicine · 2026Review
- Exploring Occupational Therapists' Sleep Intervention Approaches and Perspectives for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Malaysian Qualitative Study.Occupational therapy international · 2026Article
- A Dual In-Person and Remote Assessment Approach to Developing Digital End Points Relevant to Autism and Co-Occurring Conditions: Protocol for a Multisite Observational Study.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Behavioral Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Brief Review and Guidelines With a Specific Focus on Applied Behavior Analysis.Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry · 2024Article
- The short-term and long-term adverse effects of melatonin treatment in children and adolescents: a systematic review and GRADE assessment.EClinicalMedicine · 2023Article
- Effects of transdiagnostic group treatment for sleep disturbances in adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders and autistic spectrum disorder: a pilot study.Sleep and biological rhythms · 2022Article
- The role of probiotics in children with autism spectrum disorders: A study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.PloS one · 2022Article
- Transdermal Electrical Neuromodulation for Anxiety and Sleep Problems in High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: Feasibility and Preliminary Findings.Journal of personalized medicine · 2021Article
- Prevalence of insomnia and related psychological factors with coping strategies among medical students in clinical years during the COVID-19 pandemic.Saudi journal of biological sciences · 2021Article
- Article
- Behavioural Treatments for Sleep Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Review of the Recent Literature.Current psychiatry reports · 2020Review
- Sleeping without Prescription: Management of Sleep Disorders in Children with Autism with Non-Pharmacological Interventions and Over-the-Counter Treatments.Brain sciences · 2020Review
- The relationship between autism spectrum disorder and sleep.Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil)Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAutism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a set of neurodevelopmental disorders characterised by behavioural, communication and social impairments. The prevalence of sleep disturbances in children with ASD is 40-80%, with significant effects on quality of life for the children and carers. This systematic review aimed to synthesise evidence of the effects of behavioural interventions to improve sleep among children with ASD.
methodsDatabases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ScienceDirect, Autism Data, CENTRAL, ClinicalTrials.gov and Current Controlled Trials) were searched for published, unpublished and ongoing randomised controlled trials evaluating the effect of non-pharmacological interventions for insomnia in children with autism spectrum conditions.
resultsThree studies met the inclusion criteria, one provided actigraphy data, one Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) data, and one both actigraphy and CSHQ data for use in meta-analyses. There were significant differences between the behavioural intervention and comparison groups (actigraphy data) for total sleep time (24.41 minutes, 95% CI 5.71, 43.11, P = 0.01), sleep latency (-18.31 minutes, 95% CI -30.84, -5.77, P = 0.004) and sleep efficiency (5.59%, 95% CI 0.87, 10.31, P = 0.02). There was also a favourable intervention effect evident for the subjective CSHQ data (-4.71, 95% CI -6.70, -2.73, P<0.00001). Risk of bias was low across several key domains (randomisation, allocation concealment and reporting), with some studies being unclear due to poor reporting.
conclusionsThere are very few high quality randomised controlled trials in this area. Here we provide initial synthesised quantitative evidence of the effectiveness of behavioural interventions for treating sleep problems in children with ASD.
trial registrationProtocol was registered (CRD42017081784) on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO).
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.