Workshops & Training | Upcoming Workshops

ACT's 5th Annual Focus on Research Event
In Celebration of April—Autism Awareness Month!

Helping Children with ASD (and their parents)
Get the Sleep They Need
Presented by:
Beth Ann Malow, MD
Professor of Neurology & Director of the Vanderbilt Sleep Disorders Center

View Registration Form (.pdf)


About the Workshop: The focus of this presentation is on helping parents and community professionals gain a better understanding of what the latest research is telling us about identifying and treating sleep problems in children with ASD. Dealing with sleep problems has the potential to improve daytime functioning of the child and their family. Children with ASD are far more likely to experience sleep problems than their typically developing peers - parent reports document a prevalence rate of 53-78%. The most significant problems are insomnia (characterized by difficulty falling asleep), difficulty maintaining sleep, and early morning awakenings. Sleep issues are a common reason for parents seeking medical intervention for children with ASD. These difficulties often increase problematic behaviors throughout the day and contribute to the high levels of stress that parents of children with ASD frequently experience.

There are multiple causes for sleep problems in children with ASD. These include changes in brain substances (melatonin), medical, neurological, psychiatric, and sleep disorders, and behavioral causes of insomnia (e.g., poor sleep habits). Children with ASD may have difficulty with emotional regulation (e.g, ability to use self calming strategies) or transitioning from preferred or stimulating activities to sleep. Due to deficits in communication skills, children with ASD may not readily understand the expectations of parents related to going to bed and falling asleep. Adjusting the sleep environment to promote sleep and conveying sleep expectations in an effective way may be particularly challenging for parents of children with ASD dealing with multiple other priorities and stressors.

About the Presenter: Beth Ann Malow, MD is Professor of Neurology and Director of the Vanderbilt Sleep Disorders Center. Dr Malow's clinical, educational, and research programs focus on the impact of treating sleep disorders on neurological disease. Her own research has emphasized the interface of sleep and epilepsy, and more recently, sleep, autism, and related disorders of neurodevelopment. She currently serves as principal investigator on a NIH trial of melatonin for insomnia in children with autism (www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/neurology/faculty/malow.htm). Dr. Malow is also the co-principal investigator for Vanderbilt's Autism Treatment Network (ATN) site, one of 15 regional autism centers across North America funded to develop standards of medical care for children with autism (www.autismspeaks.org/science/programs/atn/index.php). She is the parent of two school-aged boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).