Background: Sleep is a fundamental component of human biology, and any disruption in sleep impacts an individual’s cognitive, emotional, and physical well-being. The prevalence of sleep-related diseases in children and adolescents was estimated to be between 25 and 40%. Furthermore, more than 40% of autistic children have sleep issues. The current study intends to investigate sleep impairment and disturbances in autistic children living in Anantapur District in Andhra Pradesh. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to explore sleep disturbances in children with autism. Materials and Methods: It is a Cross-sectional study The study participants aged 3 -18 with autism who visit the District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC), Psychiatry Outpatient Department at Government Medical College, Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh. In this investigation, we evaluated 111 participants (children with autism). Children were diagnosed with Childhood Autism using ICD10 criteria. We measured the severity of autism using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS-2ST) and assessed sleep disturbances with the Sleep Disturbances Scale for Children (SDSC). The data were analysed using version 25.0 of SPSS. ANOVA and the Independent T-test were used to analyse the data. Results: The results revealed a high prevalence of sleep impairment, affecting approximately 70% of the participants. Furthermore, nearly half of the children exhibited modest intellectual disability, and around 40% had mild to moderate autism severity. Notably, a significant correlation was observed between SDSC scores and intellectual disability, indicating that higher IQ scores were associated with improved sleep patterns. Conclusions: The prevalence of sleep problems in our study is 70%. The most common sleep disturbances reported were sleep-onset insomnia and nocturnal awakenings.

Background: Sleep is a fundamental component of human biology, and any disruption in sleep impacts an individual’s cognitive, emotional, and physical well-being. The prevalence of sleep-related diseases in children and adolescents was estimated to be between 25 and 40%. Furthermore, more than 40% of autistic children have sleep issues. The current study intends to investigate sleep impairment and disturbances in autistic children living in Anantapur District in Andhra Pradesh. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to explore sleep disturbances in children with autism. Materials and Methods: It is a Cross-sectional study The study participants aged 3 -18 with autism who visit the District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC), Psychiatry Outpatient Department at Government Medical College, Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh. In this investigation, we evaluated 111 participants (children with autism). Children were diagnosed with Childhood Autism using ICD10 criteria. We measured the severity of autism using the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS-2ST) and assessed sleep disturbances with the Sleep Disturbances Scale for Children (SDSC). The data were analysed using version 25.0 of SPSS. ANOVA and the Independent T-test were used to analyse the data. Results: The results revealed a high prevalence of sleep impairment, affecting approximately 70% of the participants. Furthermore, nearly half of the children exhibited modest intellectual disability, and around 40% had mild to moderate autism severity. Notably, a significant correlation was observed between SDSC scores and intellectual disability, indicating that higher IQ scores were associated with improved sleep patterns. Conclusions: The prevalence of sleep problems in our study is 70%. The most common sleep disturbances reported were sleep-onset insomnia and nocturnal awakenings.