Impairment of sleep in children with cri-duchat syndrome and autism spectrum disorder during the covid-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Sleep complaints are common in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, little is known about sleep alterations in children with cri du chat syndrome (CDC) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) due to the social isolation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: To assess alterations in sleep quality and its associated parameters before and after quarantine resulting from COVID-19, comparing the results between CDC, ASD or neurotypical children. Methods: Sleep was investigated in 53 children with CDC and 106 with ASD using an adaptation of the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire (BISQ), assessing sleep patterns both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were evaluated in comparison to 160 neurotypical (NT) children. Results: Children with CDC and ASD already had higher chances of needing parental assistance to fall asleep, taking more than 30min to fall asleep and having a wake after sleep onset time (WASO) >30min when comparing to neurotypical children in the moment preceding quarantine. Having CDC significantly increased the odds of having awakenings during the night. During quarantine, the proportion of children sleeping in their own bedrooms had decreased and the odds of awakening during the night had increased in all groups. Children with CDC and ASD had significantly higher odds of taking more than 30min to fall asleep. The chance of having a WASO >30min increased in children with ASD but decreased in CDC ones. The quarantine period statistically increased the odds ratio of children having a sleep latency of >30min by nearly 5-fold for all groups. Conclusion: The CDC group presented worse sleep parameters overall, even before quarantine. In both the CDC and ASD group worse sleep indicators were found during the COVID-19 pandemic.