Sleep patterns of children with cri du chat syndrome and autism spectrum disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has subjected most of the world population to changes in daily life activities, mostly related to social isolation, family distancing and home confinement. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental syndromes, such as cri du chat syndrome (CDC) might be especially sensitive to the consequences of the pandemic, as they usually require a predefined and strictly controlled routine. Even before the pandemic, sleep disorders and complaints were more frequent in these children compared with neurotypical (NT) children. This study aimed to evaluate the sleep pattern of children with CDC and ASD before and during the pandemic, comparing it with NT children. Methods Children and adolescents between 0-18 years` parents or legal guardians were asked to answer the adapted Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire, related to both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results Before quarantine, children with CDC and ASD had increased chances of sleeping in their parents’ bed, of needing parental assistance to fall asleep, of taking >30min to fall asleep and of having a wake after sleep onset time >30min compared to children with typical development. Being part of the CDC group significantly increased the odds of having awakenings during the night. After quarantine, there were a decrease in the proportion of children sleeping in their own bedrooms and an increase in the odds of awakening during the night in all groups. Children with CDC and ASD had increased chances of sleeping in their parents’ bed and had a significantly higher chance of taking more than 30min to fall asleep. Both the CDC and ASD group presented worse sleep patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion Our results indicated that the ASD and CDC groups usually have more sleep problems and complaints than NT children. The CDC group showed worse sleep parameters overall, even before quarantine. Support (If Any) Our studies are supported by Associação Fundo de Incentivo à Pesquisa (AFIP), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES Finance Code 001 to GLF) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico Tecnológico (CNPq – Grant #141445/2021-1 to GLF);S.T. and M.L.A. received CNPq fellowships.