Assessment of sleep disorder among autistic children

Abstract EN

Objectives : The study objectives are to identify sleep disorders among children with autism and to identify the association between sleep disorders for children with autism and their demographic characteristics including (age, gender, housing, educational level for mother, occupation status of the mother, and monthly income).

Methodology : A descriptive analytical study.

The study was conducted at the Rami Institute for the care of children with autism, Rahman Institute for the care of children with autism, and Noor Institute for the care of children with autism for the period between 2nd Dec.

2011 up to the 6th Feb.

2012.To achieve the objectives of the study, a non-probability (purposive) samples of (80) a child who was registered in the Institutes for the care of children with autism which indicate as above and according to special criteria.

Data were collected by mother of the child suffering from autism.

Instrument validity was determined through content validity, by a panel of experts.

Reliability of the instrument was determined through the use of Pearson correlation coefficient for the test-retest approach, which was (0.85).

Analysis of data was performed through the application of descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, and mean of score) and inferential statistics (Chi-square (x2) test).

Results : The study showed that most of the items of sleep disorders own evaluation has got a high level of the arithmetic mean average.

Conclusion : The researcher can conclude most of children with autism have sleep disorder.

Recommendations : The study recommended the need to initialize the routine night to sleep by a health care provider for your child to give the child a bath or reading a story given to the child at night at the same time encourages the child to go to bed to sleep, and to help the child relax before bedtime by reading a book, back massage, or play soothing music, avoid TV and video games, and other stressful activities before bed.