{
  "abstract": "Introduction Disruption of sleep and circadian timing is a common feature of autism that can significantly affect the quality of life of autistic children and their families. It is not clear whether sleep disruption is an endophenotype of autism or occurs secondary to other behaviours. The ABCD Study is a population-based longitudinal study that monitors the health, demography and lifestyle of children in the US. In this study we leverage these data to investigate whether autistic traits at baseline are associated with sleep disruption independent of lifestyle and other behavioural measures.Methods Autistic traits were assessed using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) at age 11, and sleep disruption and behavioural outcomes were assessed at age 11 and 13 years using the Sleep Disturbance Scale, and the Child Behaviour Check List, respectively. Demographic, health and lifestyle-related variables were assessed by caregiver questionnaires. Regression models were applied to investigate associations between autistic traits and sleep outcomes.Results There was a significant cross-sectional association between sleep disturbance and SRS at age 11 years old that was independent of sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic position, physical activity, sedentary behaviour and anxiety/depression (β = 0.14, 95% CI (0.11, 0.18); p < 0.001; figure 1A), and that persisted at age 13. There was significant interaction between SRS and chronotype, indicating that the association between social difficulties and sleep disruption was stronger among evening types (figure 1B).Discussion Autistic traits assessed in early adolescence were associated with sleep disruption independent of multiple confounding factors and were prospectively associated with sleep disruption at age 13 years. These findings contribute to the evidence that disruption of sleep and circadian timing may have a primary role in the neurobiological mechanisms that mediate autistic traits.Abstract O3 Figure 1(A) Forest plot showing standardized beta estimates and 95% confidence intervals for the association between SRS and sleep disruption. Reference categories are coded with an estimated value of zero and the dashed vertical line denotes the null value (β = 0). (B) Estimated slopes and 95% confidence intervals for the association between SRS and sleep disruption, by chronotype. Estimates reflect the sum of the main SRS effect and the respective SRS x Chronotype interaction term",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Mailton Vasconcelos"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Cathy Wyse"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland",
        "FutureNeuro Research Centre, Maynooth, Ireland"
      ],
      "name": "Lorna Lopez"
    }
  ],
  "title": "O3 Chronotype modulates associations between autistic traits and sleep disruption: cross-sectional and prospective findings from 10,108 participants of the adolescent brain and cognitive development (ABCD) study",
  "uid": "6d601b4b-697e-5572-92fe-5c19a453974c"
}