February 24, 2006

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Researchers from the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute are seeking children with autism, developmental delay and normal development for a study that will investigate how nighttime sleep may affect their daytime behavior.

To be eligible for the study, children must be between 2 and 5 years old. They will wear a small, wristwatch-sized activity monitor for three separate, one-week periods over six months. Parents will be asked to complete questionnaires and a diary of their child's sleep.

The study requires families to make three visits (one during each of the three, week-long monitoring periods) to the M.I.N.D. Institute to determine how daytime sleepiness might be affecting their child's behavior. Study investigators will provide a brief summary to the parents on the behavioral results.

Researchers are seeking to enroll 180 children. The investigators are interested in both “good” sleepers and “not-so-good” sleepers.

For more information, contact Anny Wu at (916) 703-0206 or  anny.wu@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu .