Relationship between Sleep Disturbance and Developmental Status in preschool -Aged Children with Developmental Disorder

Background Sleep has been known to affect childhood development. Sleep disturbance is likely to be more common in children with developmental delay (DD) than in children with normal development. There are few studies on the correlation between sleep disturbance and developmental aspects in children with DD. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the associations between the two in children with DD. Methods A total of 45 children (age range 27.0 ± 11.1) with DD were recruited and evaluated using sleep disturbance scale for children (SDSC), Bayley scales of infant and toddler development (BSID)-Ⅲ, gross-motor function measure (GMFM), and functional independence measure (FIM). The outcomes are expressed as means and standard deviations. The correlation between SDSC and BSID-Ⅲ, GMFM, and FIM was assessed using Spearman’s rank correlation test. Multiple regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between BSID-Ⅲ and SDSC. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results In multiple regression analysis, cognition and socio-emotional domains of BSID-III were significantly associated with DOES subscore in SDSC. In addition, expressive language domain of the BSID-III was found to be associated with DA subscore in SDSC. Conclusion This study demonstrated that DA and DOES subscore of SDSC were correlated with developmental aspects in preschool-aged children with DD. This study suggest that we should pay more attention to sleep problems, even in preschool aged children with DD.