AIMS The current study aimed to validate the relationship between sensory characteristics and sleep dynamics among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using an actigraph, which is an objective assessment device used for sleep monitoring. METHODS A total of 40 children (age range, 3-6 years) participated in this study (n = 20, with ASD and n = 20, age-matched children with typical development [TD]). We examined sleep dynamics using actigraph for 7 consecutive days, and the relationship between sleep parameters and sensory characteristics was analyzed using the Japanese Version of Sensory Profile (SP-J). RESULTS Significant differences were observed in terms of activities per minute during sleep (p = 0.02), sleep efficiency (SE) (p = 0.005), and wake after sleep onset (WASO) (p = 0.02) between the two groups. In the ASD group, significant positive correlations were observed between activities per minute during sleep and low thresholds for Vestibular Sensory stimuli (p = 0.046) and Oral Sensory stimuli (p = 0.006) using the SP-J. Based on a multiple regression analysis, the activities per minute during sleep were associated with low thresholds for Oral Sensory stimuli (β = 0.51, t = 2.29, p = 0.03), but not with other factors, in the ASD group. CONCLUSIONS The current study showed that atypical Vestibular and Oral Sensory modulation may be a risk indicator for high activities during sleep among preschool children with ASD. Thus, whether the interventions for these sensory characteristics are effective in improving sleep quality, daytime activities, behaviors, and cognitive functions in this group of children must be considered.

中文翻译：

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前庭和口腔感觉刺激的低阈值可能会影响自闭症谱系障碍儿童的睡眠质量

目的 目前的研究旨在使用活动记录仪验证自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 儿童的感官特征与睡眠动态之间的关系，活动记录仪是一种用于睡眠监测的客观评估设备。方法 共有 40 名儿童（年龄范围，3-6 岁）参与了这项研究（n = 20，患有 ASD，n = 20，具有典型发育 [TD] 的年龄匹配儿童）。我们连续 7 天使用活动记录仪检查睡眠动态，并使用日本版感官档案 (SP-J) 分析睡眠参数与感官特征之间的关系。结果 两组在睡眠期间每分钟活动量 (p = 0.02)、睡眠效率 (SE) (p = 0.005) 和入睡后醒来 (WASO) (p = 0.02) 方面存在显着差异。在 ASD 组中，使用 SP-J 观察到睡眠期间每分钟的活动与前庭感觉刺激 (p = 0.046) 和口腔感觉刺激 (p = 0.006) 的低阈值之间存在显着的正相关。根据多元回归分析，在 ASD 组中，睡眠期间每分钟的活动与口腔感觉刺激的低阈值相关（β = 0.51，t = 2.29，p = 0.03），但与其他因素无关。结论 目前的研究表明，非典型的前庭和口腔感觉调节可能是 ASD 学龄前儿童睡眠期间高活动的风险指标。因此，必须考虑针对这些感官特征的干预措施是否能有效改善这组儿童的睡眠质量、日间活动、行为和认知功能。