Abstract:
Some authors reported an increase in the prevalence of sleep disorders in individuals diagnosed with ASD, compared to normal population. The negative impact of changes in the sleep-wake cycle in children and/ or adults with ASD is also put forward. This effect may be mainly because the alterations would exacerbate the manifestation of pre-existing cognitive and behavioural symptoms. Sleep habits in children and adolescents with ASD (n= 12) were compared to a control group (CG = 12), with an age range between 4 and 16 years, and they were assessed by the version for parents of Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (Owens et al., 2000). Body temperature was recorded in the morning upon waking and before sleeping at night, once a week for a month. The ASD group showed a stronger resistance to go to bed, as well as more frequent nocturnal awakenings. The body temperatures of this group were significantly higher at night than in the morning in weeks 2 and 4 of the experiment. The inference is that people with ASD might be somewhat vulnerable to sleep disorders and body temperature variations along the circadian rhythm.