Karolinska Institutet – Autism Research
Earlier this week we were contacted by one of our readers who asked us to help find people to take a survey. Suzanne Axelsson, herself a mother with a child on the spectrum told us “My husband is starting up some research into the sleep routines of children with autism. Sleep is an essential part of learning… and also social interaction… if we are tired it is harder to react appropriately to a given situation… and as I see with my own son, who has autism, he is depleted of his energy reserves sometimes rapidly by things that would hardly bother others… this means that good sleep hygiene is even more essential for my son”.
Her husband John Axelsson of the Karolinska Institutet , a leading medical university in Sweden, shared:
“Karolinska Institutet is currently conducting a study to explore the complex relation between autistic traits and sleep quality.
While we know that sleep is often affected in this group, the underlying mechanisms remains largely unknown.
If you have a child that has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder or have autistic traits, you can contribute to this research by filling out a questionnaire about your child and his/her sleep, taking approximately 15 minutes. You will not be asked to provide any identifying information such as name or date of birth, meaning that your answers will remain strictly anonymous and confidential. The data will be used for developing better interventions to improve sleep quality and day time functioning in children with autism.
Simply click on this link to participate (https://survey.ki.se/Survey/4695/en) but please make sure that you have 15 minutes to spend as you only can access the questionnaire once.
Thank you very much for your time, and don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions!
Associate Prof. John Axelsson,
Dept. Clinical Neuroscience
Karolinska Institutet