title: Media use and sleep among boys with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, or typical development.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The current study examined the relationships between media use (television, computer, and video games) and sleep among boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared with those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or with typical development (TD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants included parents of boys with ASD (n = 49), ADHD (n = 38), or TD (n = 41) (ages 8-17 years). Questionnaires assessed daily hours of media use, bedroom access to media, and average sleep hours per night.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bedroom media access was associated with less time spent sleeping per night, irrespective of diagnostic group. Bedroom access to a television or a computer was more strongly associated with reduced sleep among boys with ASD compared with boys with ADHD or TD. Multivariate models showed that, in addition to bedroom access, the amount of time spent playing video games was uniquely associated with less sleep among boys with ASD. In the ASD group only, the relationship between bedroom access to video games and reduced sleep was mediated by hours of video game play.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current results suggest that media-related variables may be an important consideration in understanding sleep disturbances in children with ASD. Further research is needed to better characterize the processes by which media use may affect sleep among individuals with ASD. Overall, the current findings suggest that screen-based media time and bedroom media access should be routinely assessed and may be important intervention targets when addressing sleep problems in children with ASD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Psychology, 205 Portland St, Columbia, MO 65211. engelhardtc@health.missouri.edu.
authors.forename: Christopher R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Engelhardt
authors.forename: Micah O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Mazurek
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sohl
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012890:Sleep; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013690:Television / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013997:Time Factors; D018910:Video Games / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: ADHD; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; autism; autism spectrum disorder; bedroom access; media; sleep; television; video game