• Smith E
• Lindsey W

• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Dietary Supplements
• Nutritional Requirements
• Open Access Document
• Pediatric Chiropractic
• Sleep Wake Disorders / therapy

In recent years the emerging study of sleep science has established that sleep is one of the cornerstones of health in adults and children. Poor sleep quality and quantity can have deleterious effects on child development in the following areas: physical growth, immune function, cognitive development, behavior, emotional regulation, attention, memory, learning, speech and language development, and sensory integration. Poor sleep predisposes adults to myriad negative health outcomes as well, such as depression, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, asthma, allergy, and cardiovascular disease.1 Sleep problems are reported in up to 80% of children and up to 50% of adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) making this an issue that affects the ASD population and their caregivers across the lifespan.2 The author of the main manuscript conducted a small study, which revealed that improvement in sleep quality and quantity has positive outcomes for both patient and caregiver. The purpose of this paper is to review common causes of sleep disturbance in ASD and highlight naturopathic treatment options for improved sleep outcomes.

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