Avaliação de distúrbios do sono em indivíduos com transtorno do espectro autista

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a set of neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by deficits in communication, social interaction, and the presence of repetitive behaviors and restricted interests. Among the challenges experienced by families, sleep disorders in children with ASD stand out, often accompanied by insomnia and other disorders, which directly impact family dynamics. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate sleep disorders in children with ASD and their association with sociodemographic factors. Data collection was carried out with 99 caregivers of children diagnosed with ASD, treated at the Social Inclusion and Care Center (CAIS) through the application of the Brazilian version of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) and sociodemographic factors (child – sex, age, skin color, ASD support level, use of medication, screen – use and duration, use of light to sleep and family – sex of respondent, number of children, maternal schooling and family income). The SDSC consists of 26 questions, the sum of whose answers results in a total score, in addition to six domains: sleep initiation and maintenance disorders, sleep-disordered breathing, agitation disorders, sleep-wake transition disorders, excessive overload disorders, and sleep hyperhidrosis. Information on children's screen use and time was collected as a confounding variable. Statistical analysis was conducted in STATA software version 12.0 using Poisson regression with robust variance (PR and 95% CI). The findings revealed that 51.21% of the children had high sleep disorder scores, the most prevalent being the domain of difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep (mean score of 12.67). Factors such as female individuals (PR = 0.43; 95% CI 0.19–0.97), longer screen time (PR = 2.17; 95% CI 1.01–4.67), and low family income (PR = 1.62; 95% CI 1.10–2.40) were associated with the outcome. In addition, not using medications was shown to be a protective factor (PR = 0.52; 95% CI 0.31–0.86). It is concluded that sleep disorders are prevalent in children with ASD and have multiple determinants, making it essential that health care considers not only the child, but the family nucleus as a whole, promoting interdisciplinary interventions that meet the clinical, emotional and social needs involved.