title: Conducting actigraphy research in children with neurodevelopmental disorders--a practical approach.
abstract: The literature has been highly informative for when to use actigraphy and its validity in pediatric research. However, minimal literature exists on how to perform actigraphy, especially in special populations. We determined whether providing actigraphy training to parents and coordinators increased the nights of actigraphy data that could be scored. We compared two studies in children with autism spectrum disorders, one of which provided a basic level of training in a single-site trial and the other of which provided more detailed training to parents and coordinators in a multisite trial. There was an increase in scorable nights in the multisite trial containing a one-hour structured parent training session. Our results support the use of educational tools in clinical trials that use actigraphy.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neurology Sleep Disorders Division Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Diane B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Fawkes
authors.forename: Beth A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Malow
authors.forename: Shelly K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.forename: Alvin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loh
authors.forename: Karen W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Adkins
authors.forename: Deborah D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Wofford
authors.forename: Amanda D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Wyatt
authors.forename: Suzanne E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Goldman
mesh_terms: D056044:Actigraphy / Q000379:methods*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000193:education*; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000503:physiopathology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic / Q000379:methods; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education*; D056508:Sleep Medicine Specialty / Q000379:methods