title: The use of actigraphy to study sleep disorders in preschoolers: some concerns about detection of nighttime awakenings.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study compared actigraphy with videosomnography in preschool-aged children, with special emphasis on the accuracy of detection of nighttime awakenings.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-eight participants wore an actigraph for 1 week and were videotaped for 2 nights while wearing the actigraph.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were solitary sleepers, studied in their homes.
  
  
  METHODS
  One group (n = 22) was diagnosed with autism, another group (n = 11) had developmental delays without autism, and a third group (n = 25) were typically developing children; age ranged from 28 to 73 months (mean age 47 months); 29 boys and 29 girls.
  
  
  METHODS
  N/A.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nocturnal sleep and wakefulness were scored from simultaneously recorded videosomnography and actigraphy. The accuracy of actigraphy was examined in an epoch-by-epoch comparison with videosomnography. Findings were 94% overall agreement, 97% sensitivity, and 24% specificity. Statistical corrections for overall agreement and specificity resulted in an 89% weighted-agreement and 27% adjusted specificity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Actigraphy has poor agreement for detecting nocturnal awakenings, compared with video observations, in preschool-aged children.
authors: Department of Human and Community Development, UC Davis School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, USA.
authors: Stephanie L
authors: SL
authors: Sitnick
authors: Beth L
authors: BL
authors: Goodlin-Jones
authors: Thomas F
authors: TF
authors: Anders
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009043:Motor Activity; D017286:Polysomnography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014741:Video Recording / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014851:Wakefulness