ArticleJournal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine2020
Rethinking bedtime resistance in children with autism: is restless legs syndrome to blame?
Article in Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 41 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sleep in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: From Diagnostic Labels to Phenotype-directed Care.Current neurology and neuroscience reports · 2026Review
- Early childhood insomnia phenotypes and temperament: a theoretical review with clinical implications for precision assessment and treatment.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2026Review
- Sleep and Behaviour in Early Autism: Examining Bidirectional Associations Near Diagnosis.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- IronDeficiency Across Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Comparative Insights from ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Parallel paths: A narrative review exploring autism and its co-occurring conditions.World journal of clinical pediatrics · 2025Review
- Reply to Gringras et al. Comment on "Paditz et al. 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) · 2025Article
- Reply to Gringras et al. Comment on "Paditz et al. 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) · 2025Article
- Clinical and Demographic Correlates of Insomnia Symptoms in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2025Article
- Iron Deficiency and Restless Sleep/Wake Behaviors in Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Mental Health Conditions.Nutrients · 2024Article
- Iron Deficiency and Sleep/Wake Behaviors: A Scoping Review of Clinical Practice Guidelines-How to Overcome the Current Conundrum?Nutrients · 2024Article
- Autism Across the Lifespan.Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) · 2024Article
- Sleep and Autism: Current Research, Clinical Assessment, and Treatment Strategies.Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing) · 2024Article
- Article
- Sleep disturbances in autism spectrum disorder: Animal models, neural mechanisms, and therapeutics.Neurobiology of sleep and circadian rhythms · 2023Review
- Behavioral sleep medicine-The need for harmonization of clinical best practice outcome measures in children and adolescents with intellectual or developmental disabilities and restless sleep.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
STUDY
objectivesIn this study we investigated the clinical correlates of restless legs syndrome in children with autism and report on our experiences with response to treatment.
methodsA retrospective chart review of children seen in our sleep center from 2016-2019 was performed to identify children with autism and chronic insomnia. Patients underwent clinical assessments for restless legs symptomatology. Overnight polysomnogram, serum ferritin testing, and response to clinical treatment data were collected.
resultsA total of 103 children with autism and chronic insomnia were identified (age range 2-19 years). Of these, 41 children (39%) were diagnosed with restless legs syndrome. The diagnosis of restless legs syndrome was associated with significantly lower serum ferritin levels (mean 29 ± 18.62 ng/mL vs non-restless legs syndrome 56.7 ± 17.59, P < .001) and higher periodic limb movements of sleep on polysomnogram (8.12 ± 6.6 vs non-restless legs syndrome 0.06 ± 0.17). The presence of leg kicking, body rocking, or any symptoms involving the legs was highly correlated with the diagnosis of restless legs syndrome. Positive treatment response was noted in nearly all treated patients, including those treated with oral iron supplementation alone (25 children, 23 responders), gabapentin alone (12 children, all responders), and combination therapy (3 children, all responders).
conclusionsOur findings suggest restless legs syndrome may represent an under-recognized cause of insomnia in children with autism. Initial assessment should include a thorough query of behaviors related to nocturnal motor complaints, because restless legs syndrome may be a treatable cause of sleep disruption.
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