Understanding and Treating Sleep Disturbances in Autism by Stephen M. Edelson

Author:Stephen M. Edelson [Edelson, Stephen M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Published: 2022-08-18T00:00:00+00:00

1 https://sleepfoundation.org/press-release/national-sleep-foundation-recommends-new-sleep-times/page/0/1

CHAPTER 5

Sleep and Sensory Processing

Virginia Spielmann, PhD, MSOT, STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Centennial, Colorado, Marco Leão, MS, OT, AcademiaPediatrica.com, Porto, Portugal, and Shelly J. Lane, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, Colorado State University

Preamble—Establishing Terms

Sensory Integration and Processing is the term used to denote the neurobiophysiological foundations for sensing 1) the body and 2) the physical environment. It is a whole brain-body-nervous system process involving an amalgam of numerous subsystems each providing partial data toward the gestalt.

Autism is a form of neurodivergence, characterized by differences compared to the neuromajority (individuals within the bell curve who do not meet criteria for a neurodevelopmental diagnosis). Although highly heterogenous, autistic differences are primarily evident in sensory integration and processing, and social and cognitive style (Pearson & Rose, 2021). Please note that in this chapter we use identity-first language (e.g., “autistic person” rather than “person with autism”) as requested by autistic communities and advocacy networks.

Sleep health is vital for psychological and physical well-being. It plays a fundamental role in maintaining homeostasis, replenishing neural energy stores, stress recovery, mental health, and availability for relationships and learning (Galván, 2020; Krueger et al., 2016; Miletínová & Bušková, 2021; Tamaki et al., 2020). There is growing experimental evidence that sleep influences plasticity and connectivity and in some opinions neuroplasticity is a primary function of sleep (Krueger et al., 2016).

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