Effects of a family judo program on sleep quality in youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a family-based judo program on sleep quality in youth diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Methods: Eighteen youth (13.17 years ± 3.76, 78% male) diagnosed with ASD participated in a 14-week family judo program. Sleep quality was assessed using the Actigraph GT9X accelerometer pre- and post-judo intervention. Non-parametric paired t-tests were conducted to examine changes in sleep quality variables.

Results: There was a significant increase in sleep efficiency (p = .05), and a significant decrease in both sleep latency (p = .001) and wake after sleep onset (p = .02) following participation in the judo program. There were no changes in sleep duration observed in this sample (p = .83).

Conclusion: Participation in a family judo program may improve sleep quality in youth with ASD. More research is necessary to understand the mechanisms by which judo may improve sleep quality in youth with ASD.