Sleep problems in children with mental retardation and autism.

There is a striking paucity of studies systematically examining sleep problems in children with mental retardation and with autism. Nonetheless, based on the limited empiric findings, the presence of sleep problems and disturbances appears quite prevalent in these special populations. Moreover, there are a number of compelling reasons to hypothesize that children with mental retardation and autism are at particular risk for sleep problems. The assessment and treatment of behavior problems in general in children with mental retardation and autism have relied heavily on procedures developed out of the field of applied behavior analysis. The few treatment studies of sleep problems have been promising.