A study highlights the “significant strain” that sleep problems in children with autism can place on fathers.
The research found that the sleep problems cause huge difficulties in fathers’ health, relationships and employment.
The finding comes from a survey of fathers of children with autism.
One in four of the dads said that their children’s sleeping difficulties caused them “a great deal of stress”.
Leeds Beckett University carried out the research. It was part of a study that involved an online survey of 306 UK fathers.
The researchers later interviewed 25 of the fathers.
Dads significantly involved
They found that half of all the dads significantly involved themselves in managing their children’s sleep problems. The fathers often carried out the role alongside the mothers.
Of the 25 men interviewed, two-thirds reported that their children experienced severe problems. These occurred in one or more of the following areas: going to bed, falling sleep and staying asleep during the night.
A number of the children were waking on several occasions, sometimes for hours at a time.
One in four of the fathers reported that their children’s sleep problems were so bad that it caused them “a great deal of stress”.
Carol Potter, senior lecturer in the Carnegie School of Education at Leeds Beckett, led the study.
Serious repercussions for children and families
She said: “We already know that between 40 and 80 per cent of children with autism experience problems with sleep, around twice the rate of typically developing children.
“With the amount and quality of sleep being strongly associated with general wellbeing, intellectual development, as well as levels of stress, these difficulties can have serious repercussions for both children and families.
“The fathers I spoke to explained that managing children’s sleeping problems was most often shared between themselves and their partners. However, in ten families, men had taken the lead in managing children’s night-time problems for various reasons, sometimes relating to their partner’s work commitments or because fathers felt that mothers needed more sleep due to having undertaken the majority of childcare during the day.”
Sleep problems impact parents’ health
In the interview study, fathers said they were most concerned by the impact the sleeping difficulties were having on parents’ health. One father reflected: “A few years ago we were getting no sleep. Literally two or three hours’ broken sleep a night.”
Another said: “We were physically and mentally drained – that sleep deprivation thing.”
For several men interviewed, sleeping issues had caused big difficulties in their working lives. They were awake for much of the night, making them extremely tired during the day.
‘Absolutely drained – and having a full day’s work ahead’
One father talked about the long-term effect of interrupted sleep on his employment. He said: “From when he was four to seven, some days I was going in to work and I was absolutely drained, absolutely drained – and having a full day’s work ahead of me.”
More than one in three of the men discussed how sleeping difficulties had affected their relationship with their partner. They said that problems in getting their children to sleep meant that parents could only spend a short time together in the evenings. In addition, several fathers were often awake supervising their children during the night.
One man said: “I would sleep on a chair in his room. Simply because that was the only option.” For one couple, the strain of their child’s sleeping difficulties almost led to a breakup: “It got to the stage where we were on the point of divorce. We’d literally reached the point where we had no life.”
A small number of fathers talked about how night-time problems had affected the lives of their other children. For example, parents often had less time to spend with brothers and sisters during the evenings. In addition, sometimes the problems disturbed the sleep of brothers and sisters, which could affect their school work.
Almost all children with severe sleeping problems discussed in the interviews were taking prescribed medication. Several fathers reported that this achieved only limited success.
Strategies for sleeping patterns
Families also used strategies to try to improve children’s sleeping patterns. The main tactic was to maintain a very consistent bed-time routine. However, although such strategies helped, significant difficulties often remained.
Carol said: “Given the severity and frequency of sleeping problems in children with autism, this issue should be viewed as a significant health-related concern. Much more support is needed for families in this vital area.
“The greater availability of nurse-led community-based sleep clinics, where staff are highly trained in sleep management techniques, could be one extremely useful way forward, to support families under significant strain, and to help children who do not get sufficient rest.”
The Leverhulme Trust funded the research.
Published: 27 April 2017
