Journal Article

Melatonin for Sleep in Children with Autism: A Controlled Trial Examining Dose, Tolerability, and Outcomes

Goldman, Suzanne E., Adkins, Karen W., Wang, Lily, Malow, Beth, McGrew, Susan G., Fawkes, Diane, Burnette, Courtney

2012

Overview

Supplemental melatonin has shown promise in treating sleep onset insomnia in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Twenty-four children, free of psychotropic medications, completed an open-label dose-escalation study to assess dose–response, tolerability, safety, feasibility of collecting actigraphy data, and ability of outcome measures to detect change during a 14-week intervention. Supplemental melatonin improved sleep latency, as measured by actigraphy, in most children at 1 or 3 mg dosages. It was effective in week 1 of treatment, maintained effects over several months, was well tolerated and safe, and showed improvement in sleep, behavior, and parenting stress. Our findings contribute to the growing literature on supplemental melatonin for insomnia in ASD and inform planning for a large randomized trial in this population.

• Publisher: Springer US,Springer,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Actigraphy / Autism / Autism Spectrum Disorders / Autistic children / Autistic Disorder - complications / Autistic spectrum disorders / Behavior Rating Scales / Behavioral Science and Psychology / Biological and medical sciences / Central Nervous System Depressants - administration & dosage / Central Nervous System Depressants - adverse effects / Central Nervous System Depressants - therapeutic use / Check Lists / Child / Child and School Psychology / Child Behavior / Child clinical studies / Child Health / Child, Preschool / Children / Clinical Diagnosis / Comorbidity / Data processing / Departments / Developmental disorders / Disorders / Disorders of higher nervous function. Focal brain diseases. Central vestibular syndrome and deafness. Brain stem syndromes / Down Syndrome / Drug Therapy / Escalation / Feasibility / Female / Humans / Hyperactivity / Infantile autism / Insomnia / Intervention / Latency / Male / Medical Schools / Medical sciences / Melatonin / Melatonin - administration & dosage / Melatonin - adverse effects / Melatonin - therapeutic use / Mental Disorders / Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes) / Neurodevelopmental disorders / Neurology / Neurosciences / Observation / Original Paper / Outcome Measures / Outcomes of Treatment / Parental stress / Parents / Parents & parenting / Pediatrics / Physical Development / Principals / Psychiatry / Psychology / Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry / Psychopathology. Psychiatry / Psychotropic drugs / Puberty / Public Health / Safety / Sleep / Sleep - drug effects / Sleep disorders / Sleep Wake Disorders - complications / Sleep Wake Disorders - drug therapy / Stress / Symptoms (Individual Disorders) / Treatment Outcome