Welcome to the Simons Sleep Project

This study uses new and exciting wearable devices to study sleep in adolescents with autism. The goal is to understand why sleep problems are three times more common in autistic children in comparison to typically developing children. Understanding how sleep differs in autistic children will inform and guide future intervention studies.

This study is the first of its kind to use advanced devices and technologies to study sleep at home!

The Devices

Embrace plus

The Embrace plus is a wristband that can continuously measure heart rate, skin temperature, and movement. We will use these measures to determine how active each child was during the day and at night. Recording movement and heart rate is important for identifying when your child falls asleep, any night-time wakefullness, and when they wake up in the morning.
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Dreem3 Headband

The Dreem3 is a headband that can measure electrical activity in the brain (electroencephalography or EEG) during sleep. We will use this device to measure brain activity during the night. The EEG recordings contain information about the depth and depth of sleep. This is critical for understanding the source of different sleep problems.
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Withings Sleep

The Withings sleep is a small mat that is placed underneath the child's mattress (i.e., no direct contact.) The mat records movements, heart rate, and respiration. These recordings are important for determining when the child went to bed and got up as well as how restless they were throughout the night.
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Study Roadmap

Questionnaires

Complete 9 questionnaires for each child (about 90 minutes) and receive a $25 Amazon gift card per child.

Record child with autism

Use devices during a 2-3 week period along with a daily sleep diary and receive a $100 Amazon gift card.

Record child without autism

Use devices during a 2-3 week period along with a daily sleep diary and receive a $100 Amazon gift card.

Final sleep report

Within 3 months of data collection you will receive a detailed report of each child’s sleep habits.

Who can participate?

We are recruiting families with one autistic child between the age of 10 and 17 years old who is living at home with a typically developing sibling in the same age range. Both children need to be able to wear the smartwatch and headband devices described below for a period of 2-3 weeks each (one after the other).

What are the benefits of participating in the study?

To demonstrate our appreciation for participants' efforts we will compensate you with $25 for completion of each child's questionnaires ($50 total) and an additional $100 for completion of data collection from each child ($200 total).
Within 3 months of completing data collection you will receive a detailed report of your children's sleep habits as compared with other participants who have completed the study. To see an example of such a report please click here.

General questions about sleep?

If you would like to learn more about sleep problems in autism, please click here

^*Note that all data collected in this study is intended for research purposes only and should not be interpreted as medical advice or used for any clinical purposes. If you have medical concerns about the behavior or sleep of your children, please contact your doctor or other clinical professional.

Please email us at sleep@simonsfoundation.org
or call us at 1-646-655-7445