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Modification of the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

Sleep problems are common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and adversely impact daytime functioning. Although no questionnaires have been developed to assess sleep in children with ASD, the 33-item Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) is widely used in this population. We examined the factor structure of the CSHQ in 2872 children (age 4–10 years) enrolled in the Autism Treatment Network. A four-factor solution (Sleep Initiation and Duration, Sleep Anxiety/Co-Sleeping, Night Waking/Parasomnias, and Daytime Alertness) with 5–6 items per factor explained 75% of the total variation. Ten items failed to load on any factor. This abbreviated 23-item four-factor version of this measure may be useful when assessing sleep in children with ASD.

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Acknowledgments

This research was conducted as part of the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network and the Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health. Main support came from a cooperative agreement (UA3 MC 11054) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Research Program, to the Massachusetts General Hospital. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Autism Speaks, Inc. or The Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

Author Contributions

TK, AMS, CRJ, ALR, AMR, LS, and BAM worked on the conceptualization and design of the study, plan of analysis, interpretation of results, initial draft and revisions of the manuscript, and approval of the final manuscript as submitted. AMS completed all statistical analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, 13123 E. 16th Street, B-140, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA

    Terry Katz & Ann M. Reynolds

  2. Biostatistics Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Amy M. Shui

  3. STAR Center for ASD & NDDs, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Amy M. Shui

  4. Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Cynthia R. Johnson

  5. Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia

    Amanda L. Richdale

  6. Marcus Autism Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Lawrence Scahill

  7. Sleep Disorders Division, Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA

    Beth A. Malow

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  1. Terry Katz
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Correspondence to Terry Katz.

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Dr. Katz declares that she has no conflict of interest. Ms. Shui declares that she has no conflict of interest. Dr. Johnson declares that she has no conflict of interest. Dr. Richdale declares that she has no conflict of interest. Dr. Reynolds declares that she has no conflict of interest. Dr. Scahill has served as a consultant to Neuren, Supernus, Shire, Bracket and CB Partners. He receives book royalties from Oxford and Guilford. Dr. Malow declares that she has no conflict of interest.

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Katz, T., Shui, A.M., Johnson, C.R. et al. Modification of the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 48, 2629–2641 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3520-2

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