Autism-related sleep issues go hand in hand with behavior problems
A new study confirms that autism-related sleep disturbances go hand in hand with daytime behavioral problems.一项新的研究证实自闭症睡眠障碍与日间行为问题密切相关。The finding underscores the need for doctors, therapists and caregivers to look for and address sleep issues among kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).该发现强调了医生，治疗师和照顾者寻找和解决自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童睡眠问题的需要。"Past research has found that children with ASD often have trouble sleeping at night,”Micah Mazurek 谈到“过去的研究发现，自闭症儿童常常在晚上有睡眠问题，”says psychologist and study co-author Micah Mazurek, of the University of Missouri’s Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders.他是密苏里堪萨斯大学的汤普森自闭症和神经发育障碍中心心理学家和此项研究的合作人。"Many children with ASD also struggle with regulating their behavior during the day. In this study, we were specifically interested in whether sleep is related to challenging behavior.”“在白天，许多孩子不能循规蹈矩。在这项研究中，我们特别感兴趣的是睡眠是否与挑战性行为有关。To study the connection between sleep and behavioral problems Mazurek and co-author Kristin Sohl, a neurodevelopmental pediatrician, surveyed parents of 81 children affected by autism.为了研究睡眠和行为问题之间的联系，Mazurek和另一合作人-神经发育儿科医生Kristin Sohl，调查了81位自闭症谱系障碍患儿的父母们。They looked at a range of sleep problems known to be common among children with autism. These include trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep and early wakening.他们查看了在自闭症谱系障碍患者中常见的一系列睡眠问题，这些问题包括入睡困难、睡不安稳、早醒。They then examined whether and how these problems related to autism-related behavioral problems such as aggression, irritability, inattention and hyperactivity.他们检查了这些问题是否与自闭症的行为问题有联系以及是如何联系的，如攻击行为、易怒、注意力不集中、多动。Mazurek and Sohl found sleep difficulties to be highly related to daytime behavioral problems.Mazurek和Sohl发现睡眠困难和日间行为问题是高度密切相关的。In particular, those children who weren't sleeping well had greater problems with aggression, irritability and paying attention during the day.特别是那些没有睡好的孩子在白天的侵略行为，烦躁和注意力的问题更加地突出。And children who wakened frequently through the night had the most trouble with daytime behavior.Going forward, the researchers plan to explore underlying causes and improved interventions for autism-related sleep difficulties.未来，研究者们计划探索自闭症睡眠障碍的潜在原因和改善睡眠质量干预措施。In the meantime, they encourage parents to discuss their children’s sleep issues with their doctors.与此同时，他们鼓励家长们和医生讨论孩子的睡眠问题。“Addressing these issues will help children be at their best during the day." Mazurek says.Mazurek说“解决这些问题可以帮助孩子在日间保持最佳状态”。
