Effectiveness of Sleep-Based Interventions for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-Synthesis.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the efficacy of massage therapy as a sleep intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Results Summary
The study found that massage therapy was among the alternative therapies considered, but no single intervention, including massage, was effective across all sleep problems in children with ASD. Behavioral interventions, melatonin, and parent education programs appeared more effective than alternative therapies like massage.
Population
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experiencing sleep problems.
Effective Dosage
Not available
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
melatonin therapy | decrease | multiple domains of sleep problems | children with ASD | - | appear the most effective at ameliorating | #1 |
behavioral interventions | decrease | multiple domains of sleep problems | children with ASD | - | appear the most effective at ameliorating | #2 |
parent education/education program interventions | decrease | multiple domains of sleep problems | children with ASD | - | appear the most effective at ameliorating | #3 |
no single intervention | no change | sleep problems | children with ASD | - | is effective across all | #4 |
Sleep problems are common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This meta-synthesis collated eight previously published systematic reviews examining the efficacy of sleep interventions in children with ASD in an attempt to present a clear analysis of trialed interventions. The collated reviews consider five major groups of sleep interventions for children with ASD: melatonin therapy, pharmacologic treatments other than melatonin, behavioral interventions, parent education/education programs, and alternative therapies (massage therapy, aromatherapy, and multivitamin and iron supplementation). These eight reviews were based on 38 original studies and address the efficacy of interventions across 17 sleep problem domains. The results of this meta-synthesis suggest that no single intervention is effective across all sleep problems in children with ASD. However, melatonin, behavioral interventions, and parent education/education program interventions appear the most effective at ameliorating multiple domains of sleep problems compared with other interventions. Due to the heterogeneous causative factors and presentations of disordered sleep, further research into the effectiveness of sleep interventions may target specific phenotypic subgroups rather than a broad analysis across the general ASD population. Similarly, future research needs to consider the efficacy of different polytherapeutic approaches in order to provide clinicians with evidence to inform best practice. In the meantime, this review supports clinicians' decision making for a majority of the identified sleep problems in the ASD population.