Some nights go badly for reasons we can name. Others simply do. This study may offer a little context, but it does not turn a child’s sleep into a diagnosis or a problem to blame on them.
- Some differences showed up from age two, not in infancy.
- Autism, ADHD and both showed overlapping patterns.
- A group pattern cannot predict one child’s night.
Questions you can take with you
You do not need to become an expert. These questions can help you talk with a professional or support provider.
- What makes bedtime feel safer or easier?
- What has changed lately?
- Would it help to write down patterns before asking for support?
Want the study details?Sample, method and evidence type
- Children
- 209
- Measures
- 10–36 months
- Sleep data
- Caregiver-reported
Read on for what was studied, what was found and what remains uncertain.
What the researchers followed
This prospective study followed 209 children from infancy to age three. Caregivers reported sleep at several points, and children were later grouped by autism, ADHD, both, or neither diagnosis.
The clearest differences appeared from 24 months: longer settling, less sufficient sleep and more overall sleep disturbance in the diagnosed groups. Bedtime resistance improved between 24 and 36 months in the autism group.
A useful opening, not a label
Sleep can affect everyone in a home. This paper may help families feel less alone when a toddler’s sleep is uneven, but it does not turn sleep into a sign that can diagnose autism or ADHD.
A difficult night can have many reasons: routine, stress, illness, sensory comfort, development and plain bad luck. What helps one child may not help another, and there is no need to force a routine that makes life harder.
What the study cannot answer
The sleep information came from caregivers, not from sleep monitors, and the groups were defined by diagnoses at 36 months. That limits what can be inferred about earlier sleep.
The study does not test a treatment or identify the cause of any sleep difference. Individual health or sleep concerns deserve a conversation with a qualified professional who takes the family’s context seriously.
Limitations to keep in view
- Sleep was reported by caregivers rather than measured objectively.
- The cohort had 209 children and diagnoses were assigned at 36 months.
- The results are associations in groups, not causes or an individualized prediction.
Sleep in Young Children With Autism, ADHD and Combined Presentations
Research team published in Autism Research
Autism Research · 2026
This article provides general information and does not replace individualized medical, psychological or educational advice.