Tel Aviv University study finds frequent night wakings, broken sleep patterns are linked to trouble later on.
Temper tantrums and misbehavior, restlessness and inattention are the trappings of the typical toddler. But they may also be signs of developmental delays or disorders. Are infant sleep irregularities red flags for later developmental difficulties?
A study recently published in Developmental Neuropsychology finds a definite link between poor infant sleep and compromised attention and behavior at the toddler stage. The research discovered that one-year-olds who experienced fragmented sleep were more likely to have difficulties concentrating and to exhibit behavioral problems at three and four years of age.
The research was led by Prof. Avi Sadeh of Tel Aviv University’s School of Psychological Sciences and conducted by a team that included his TAU colleagues Yael Guri and Prof. Yair Bar-Haim; Dr. Gali De Marcas of the Gordon College of Education in Haifa; and Prof. Andrea Berger and Dr. Liat Tikotzky of Ben Gurion University of the Negev.
A predictor of future problems
“Many parents feel that, after a night without enough sleep, their infants are not at their ‘best.’ But the real concern is whether infant sleep problems – i.e. fragmented sleep, frequent night wakings – indicate any future developmental problems,” said Prof. Sadeh. “The fact that poor infant sleep predicts later attention and behavior irregularities has never been demonstrated before using objective measures.”
The team assessed the sleep patterns of infants at TAU’s Laboratory for Children’s Sleep Disorders, where Prof. Sadeh is director. The initial study included 87 one-year-olds and their parents. They revisited the lab when the infants were three to four years old. According to the study, “Night-wakings of self-soothing infants go unnoticed by their parents. Therefore, objective infant sleep measures are required when assessing the role of sleep consolidation or sleep fragmentation and its potential impact on the developing child.”
To accomplish this, the researchers used wristwatch-like devices to objectively determine sleep patterns at the age of one, and in the follow-up visits they used a computerized attention test, the Spatial-Stroop task, to assess attentional executive control. They also referred to parental reports to determine signs of behavioral problems.
The results revealed significant predictive and concomitant correlations between infant sleep and toddler attention regulation and behavior problems. The study points to significant ties between sleep quality markers (sleep percentage and number of night wakings) at one year of age and attention and behavior regulation markers two to three years later.
Is it genetic?
“We don’t know what the underlying causes are for the lower sleep quality and later behavior regulation problems in these children,” said Prof. Sadeh. “There may be genetic or environmental causes adversely affecting both the children’s sleep and their development in other domains. Our findings, however, support the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of sleep problems in infants and young children. Early interventions for infant sleep problems, very effective in improving sleep quality, could potentially improve later attention and behavior regulation.”
The researchers are currently exploring the underlying characteristics of children who are considered “good sleepers” at the age of nine to 18 months.
Source: AFTAU
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Original Research: Abstract for “Infant Sleep Predicts Attention Regulation and Behavior Problems at 3–4 Years of Age” by Avi Sadeh, Gali De Marcas, Yael Guri, Andrea Berger, Liat Tikotzky and Yair Bar-Haim in Developmental Neuropsychology. Published online July 7 2015 doi:10.1080/87565641.2014.973498
Abstract
Infant Sleep Predicts Attention Regulation and Behavior Problems at 3–4 Years of Age
This longitudinal study assessed the role of early sleep patterns in predicting attention regulation and behavior problems. Sleep of 43 infants was assessed using actigraphy at 12 months of age and then reassessed when the children were 3–4 years old. During this follow-up, their attention regulation and behavior problems were also assessed using a computerized test and parental reports. Lower quality of sleep in infancy significantly predicted compromised attention regulation and behavior problems. These findings underscore the need to identify and treat early sleep problems.
“Infant Sleep Predicts Attention Regulation and Behavior Problems at 3–4 Years of Age” by Avi Sadeh, Gali De Marcas, Yael Guri, Andrea Berger, Liat Tikotzky and Yair Bar-Haim in Developmental Neuropsychology. Published online July 7 2015 doi:10.1080/87565641.2014.973498
