ReviewCureus2020
Perspective on Melatonin Use for Sleep Problems in Autism and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials.
Review in Cureus, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 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
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- European expert guidance on management of sleep onset insomnia and melatonin use in typically developing children.European journal of pediatrics · 2024Guideline
- Reciprocal regulation between autism risk gene POGZ and circadian clock.JCI insight · 2026Article
- [Best evidence summary for management of sleep disorders in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder].Zhongguo dang dai er ke za zhi = Chinese journal of contemporary pediatrics · 2025Review
- Desperate for Sleep: Exploring Parental Perceptions of Melatonin Use Among Adolescents With Neurodevelopmental Disorders.Journal for specialists in pediatric nursing : JSPN · 2025Article
- The Pharmacokinetics, Dosage, Preparation Forms, and Efficacy of Orally Administered Melatonin for Non-Organic Sleep Disorders in Autism Spectrum Disorder During Childhood and Adolescence: A Systematic Review.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The role of circadian rhythms and sleep in the aetiology of autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: New evidence from bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2025Article
- Article
- The Role of Momentary Dissociation in the Sensory Cortex: A Neurophysiological Review and its Implications for Maladaptive Daydreaming.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2024Review
- Melatonin Prescription in Children and Adolescents in Relation to Body Weight and Age.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- A bibliometric analysis of insomnia in adolescent.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
- Genetic and neural mechanisms of sleep disorders in children with autism spectrum disorder: a review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Review
- Improvement of sleep and melatonin in children with autism spectrum disorder after β-1,3/1,6-glucan consumption: An open-label prospective pilot clinical study.Brain and behavior · 2022Article
- Melatonin Treatment for Pediatric Patients with Insomnia: Is There a Place for It?Nature and science of sleep · 2022Review
- Analysis of the Incidence and Risk Factors of Precocious Puberty in Girls during the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of endocrinology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland and is available over the counter for treating sleep problems in the pediatric population. We conducted a systematic review of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on MEDLINE and included six studies that met our inclusion criteria. RCTs were conducted in patients from two to 18 years of age with a diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM)-IV diagnosis of autism spectrum disease (ASD) and/or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in both short-term and long-term RCTs ranging from eight-week to 52-week studies. The mean difference in the children's sleep disorder showed statistically significant improvement in sleep duration and sleep latency onset compared to the placebo. Overall, a high response rate was observed in the melatonin group compared to the placebo in treating sleep problems in children. Melatonin is a well-tolerated and safe medication in the dose range of 2-10 mg/day in the child and adolescent population.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.