Association among Sleep Pattern, Sleep Disturbance and Problem Behavior

The present study assessed the sleep pattern, sleep disturbance and problem behavior in a randomized sample of persons (n=70) with developmental disabilities on whom EEG recording was done. Persons with developmental disabilities who are living in community with parents were taken for the study. It also explored relationships among sleep pattern, sleep disturbance and problem behavior with respect to EEG record, medication, and comorbid conditions in persons with developmental disabilities. The results showed that sleep pattern is significant with problem behaviors like temper tantrums & misbehavior with others. Furthermore, persons with developmental disabilities having severe problems in sleep pattern showed more severe levels of daytime problem behaviors, such as self-injurious behavior, repetitive behavior, odd behavior, hyperactivity & rebellious behavior. There is a significant difference (p<0.05) in sleep pattern of persons with developmental disabilities between the groups having normal EEG record and abnormal EEG record. Similar findings were also observed with respect to problem behavior.