{"id":20136,"date":"2025-03-17T19:38:23","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T00:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autism.org\/?p=20136"},"modified":"2025-08-25T11:42:59","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T16:42:59","slug":"autism-sleep-community-settings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/autism.org\/autism-sleep-community-settings\/","title":{"rendered":"Research Updates: Bringing Sleep and Autism into Community Settings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_6 1_6 fusion-one-sixth fusion-column-first\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:80px;--awb-bg-size:cover;width:13.3333%; margin-right: 4%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:40px;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-1 fusion_builder_column_2_3 2_3 fusion-two-third\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:80px;--awb-bg-size:cover;width:65.3333%; margin-right: 4%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\" style=\"--awb-text-transform:none;\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"#jump\">Beth Malow, MD<\/a>, shares current research updates on sleep and autism. She highlights the multifactorial nature of sleep patterns and how they affect daily functioning and core autism traits like emotion regulation. The speaker provides helpful sleep questionnaires and tips for minimizing sleep resistance and night waking. Malow outlines preliminary work from ongoing sleep education trials for parents and therapists and emphasizes the efficacy of behavior-based interventions. She provides contact information for potential study participants and notes the lack of research surrounding common medications before the Q&amp;A.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Handouts are online <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Sleep-and-Community-Settings.pdf\">HERE<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Articles on melatonin are <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@bethmalow\">HERE<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Interested in participating in research at locations described i<a class=\"fusion-builder-modal-save\" href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=20136&amp;action=edit#\"> Save <\/a>n the webinar? Email the research team at <a href=\"mailto:sleeped@vumc.org\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sleeped@vumc.org<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-video fusion-youtube fusion-aligncenter\" style=\"--awb-max-width:600px;--awb-max-height:360px;--awb-width:100%;\"><div class=\"video-shortcode\"><div class=\"fluid-width-video-wrapper\" style=\"padding-top:60%;\" ><iframe title=\"YouTube video player 1\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZRDi_rE9onc?wmode=transparent&autoplay=0\" width=\"600\" height=\"360\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:30px;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\" style=\"--awb-text-transform:none;\"><h2><strong>In this webinar:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>1:00<\/strong> &#8211; Introduction and case study<br \/>\n<strong>6:45<\/strong> &#8211; Multifactorial sleep problems<br \/>\n<strong>12:13<\/strong> &#8211; Emotion regulation and sleep<br \/>\n<strong>17:20<\/strong> &#8211; Parent trainings for insomnia<br \/>\n<strong>23:00<\/strong> &#8211; Sleep resistance and night waking<br \/>\n<strong>29:30<\/strong> &#8211; Sleep education multicenter trials<br \/>\n<strong>36:30<\/strong> &#8211; Medications<br \/>\n<strong>37:45<\/strong> &#8211; Summary<br \/>\n<strong>39:00<\/strong> &#8211; Q&amp;A<\/p>\n<h2><b>Sleep in Autism<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dr. Malow notes the high prevalence of sleep problems in autistic children and how they impact both nighttime rest and daytime functioning <\/span><b>(1:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Various factors contribute to sleep issues in autism, which can generally be divided into biological, medical, and behavioral categories <\/span><b>(7:45)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Case Study<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To illustrate the multifactorial nature of sleep issues, Malow presents a case study of Alex, a 10-year-old boy with autism, epilepsy, and anxiety. It takes him hours to fall asleep because he \u201ccannot shut his brain down,\u201d and he takes methylphenidate (Ritalin) in the morning and afternoon and lamotrigine (Lamictal) at night. Alex enjoys a soda and video games after dinner. He has restless sleep, snores loudly, and wakes multiple times at night. It\u2019s also nearly impossible to wake Alex up in the morning for school. His teacher describes him as being sleepy as well as hyperactive in class. All of this leaves his parents exhausted and very overwhelmed<\/span><b> (2:40)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Due to his snoring, practitioners treated him for sleep apnea by removing his adenoids and tonsils. This helped his seizures and snoring, but the restlessness and night wakings continued <\/span><b>(6:45)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The speaker emphasizes a comprehensive approach to sleep issues that identifies co-occurring conditions, prioritizes behavioral strategies wherever possible, and uses medications sparingly. She reiterates the benefits of routines for people with autism <\/span><b>(10:15)<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><b>Sleep, emotional regulation, behavior, and core symptoms<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All daily functioning is improved when we sleep better; it\u2019s like \u201chitting the reset button,\u201d especially for emotion regulation. Malow outlines fMRI studies that show increased amygdala activation (fear and anxiety) and decreased connectivity between different parts of the brain after sleep deprivation <\/span><b>(12:13)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Similarly, in a study with more than 2,500 kids, those getting less than seven hours of sleep per night had higher severity scores for social communication and emotion regulation <\/span><b>(15:15)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The presenter asserts the significant relationship between sleep and behavior and suggests that if we improve sleep, daytime behaviors will also improve <\/span><b>(16:35)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Parent training for insomnia supports<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2009, Malow published the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/23939126_A_Sleep_Habits_Questionnaire_for_Children_With_Autism_Spectrum_Disorders\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sleep Habits Questionnaire for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to help parents and caregivers manage sleep issues in autistic children <\/span><b>(17:20)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The questionnaire assesses components of successful sleep and daytime habits including exercise, abundant light, limited caffeine, limited naps, and selective bedroom use (using the bedroom only for sleeping) <\/span><b>(19:18)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The speaker describes the interaction of homeostatic and circadian rhythms throughout the day and emphasizes the importance of having the proper bedtime. For example, in Alex\u2019s case study, 8 pm may be too early for his body to enter sleep mode, so she suggests pushing it back half an hour <\/span><b>(21:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Sleep resistance and night waking<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For many autistic children, the &#8220;crying it out&#8221; method doesn&#8217;t work because the child doesn&#8217;t understand what is going on. If a child needs company to fall asleep, Malow suggests the rocking chair method, where you sit in the rocking chair with your back to the child, moving closer to the door each night until you have left the room <\/span><b>(23:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first step in minimizing night waking is to help the child fall asleep on their own &#8211; &#8220;A child who can fall asleep on their own can go back to sleep on their own.&#8217;. It&#8217;s essential to respond quickly to distress and comfort and reassure but avoid over responding &#8211; be &#8220;brief and boring&#8221; <\/span><b>(25:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. &#8220;Bedtime passes&#8221; can also be used as a ticket for a hug or class of water during the night. In this case, the child can use the pass or turn it in in the morning for a reward. This gives the child control over the situation and comfort, knowing they can have help if needed <\/span><b>(26:30)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Malow notes that all of these learning materials are available for free at<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.autismspeaks.org\/tool-kit\/strategies-improve-sleep-children-autism\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.autismspeaks.org\/tool-kit\/strategies-improve-sleep-children-autism<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>Sleep education multicenter trials<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Malow outlines a two-phased study in parents of autistic children with sleep onset delay at least 3 nights\/week. In phase 1, parents were given sleep education, a pamphlet, or no intervention. In phase 2, parents were randomized into either group or individualized classes with a trained community therapist <\/span><b>(29:30)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The therapist training portion includes a manual, videos, and weekly Zoom meetings for practice and support. Following training, therapists identify families who could benefit from the program, and after consent is given, baseline assessments are completed. Therapists meet virtually to discuss challenging cases and billing issues <\/span><b>(34:44)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Preliminary results show that therapists achieved fidelity goals during training sessions and that parents achieved high scores in understanding, comfort, and implementation. Sleep patterns and core symptoms improved, and parents were delighted with the training overall <\/span><b>(32:55)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This training is now available in TN, NH, VT, GA, and CO. For more information, email the research team at <\/span><a href=\"mailto:sleeped@vumc.org\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sleeped@vumc.org<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>Medications<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Malow expresses her reservations about medications due to the many side effects and unknown long-term implications. However, sometimes they are necessary. They can help manage parental overwhelm initially, but it&#8217;s good to wean off slowly as behavioral habits are adopted. Gabapentin, alpha-adrenergic agonists (clonidine), and mirtazapine are common medications that have been studied, but most others have not <\/span><b>(36:30)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The presenter summarizes her talk, reiterating the prevalence of sleep problems in autism and their impact on daily functioning. She emphasizes that once the root cause is identified, sleep problems are highly treatable, especially with behavioral strategies. Personalized, family-centered interventions are the most effective\u00a0 <\/span><b>(37:45)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Malow touches on future research directions before the Q&amp;A <\/span><b>(39:00)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Originally published March 18, 2025<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:40px;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-2 fusion_builder_column_1_6 1_6 fusion-one-sixth fusion-column-last\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:80px;--awb-bg-size:cover;width:13.3333%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:40px;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"jump\" class=\"fusion-container-anchor\"><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-2 has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-3 fusion_builder_column_1_3 1_3 fusion-one-third fusion-column-first\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;width:33.333333333333%;width:calc(33.333333333333% - ( ( 4% ) * 0.33333333333333 ) );margin-right: 4%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-3\" style=\"--awb-text-transform:none;\"><h3>The speaker:<\/h3>\n<div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-5\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload alignleft wp-image-20137 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/photo-_0065_Beth-Ann-Malow-150x150.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/photo-_0065_Beth-Ann-Malow-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27150%27%20height%3D%27150%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20150%20150%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27150%27%20height%3D%27150%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/photo-_0065_Beth-Ann-Malow-66x66.jpg 66w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/photo-_0065_Beth-Ann-Malow-150x150.jpg 150w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Dr. Malow is Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to joining the faculty at Vanderbilt, Malow was a tenured associate professor of Neurology at the University of Michigan and director of the Sleep Medicine Fellowship Program and the General Clinical Research Center Sleep Program. She received her B.S. degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL in 1984 and her M.D. from Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago. She then did her internship in Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY from 1987-88. Her residency in the Harvard-Longwood Neurological Training Program in Boston, MA from 1988-91 was followed by a fellowship in epilepsy, EEG, and sleep at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD from 1991-94. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vumc.org\/neurology\/person\/beth-ann-malow-md\">Learn more about Dr. Malow<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-4 fusion_builder_column_2_3 2_3 fusion-two-third fusion-column-last\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;width:66.666666666667%;width:calc(66.666666666667% - ( ( 4% ) * 0.66666666666667 ) );\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-column-wrapper-legacy\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-4\"><h4>Take the knowledge quiz<\/h4>\n<p>Can&#8217;t see the quiz below? 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fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:30px;width:100%;\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-sep-clear\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-recent-posts fusion-recent-posts-1 avada-container layout-default layout-columns-3\"><section class=\"fusion-columns columns fusion-columns-3 columns-3\"><article class=\"post fusion-column column col col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-4\"><div class=\"fusion-flexslider fusion-flexslider-loading flexslider flexslider-hover-type-none\"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/understanding-and-supporting-puberty\/\" aria-label=\"Understanding and Supporting Puberty in Autistic Girls and Boys\" class=\"hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"441\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/paid-teens-700x441.jpg\" class=\"attachment-recent-posts size-recent-posts lazyload\" alt=\"Diverse Teens Hands Star Concept\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271709%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%202560%201709%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271709%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/paid-teens-700x441.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/paid-teens-320x202.jpg 320w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/paid-teens-700x441.jpg 700w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-09-11T12:52:59-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/understanding-and-supporting-puberty\/\">Understanding and Supporting Puberty in Autistic Girls and Boys<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-09-11T12:52:59-05:00<\/span><span>August 28th, 2025<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/gender\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Gender<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/health\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Health<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/medical-care\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Medical Care<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/parenting-webinar\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Parenting<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/research-webinar\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/research\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/self-care\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Self Care<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/sexuality\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Sexuality<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/social-skills\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Social Skills<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/webinars\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Webinar<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>   Blythe A. Corbett, Ph.D., discusses her lab's research on puberty, adolescence, and mental health in autistic individuals. She emphasizes puberty as a period of significant biological maturation involving several physical, biological, hormonal,<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"post fusion-column column col col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-4\"><div class=\"fusion-flexslider fusion-flexslider-loading flexslider flexslider-hover-type-none\"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/live-qa-masking-deconstructing-the-myths\/\" aria-label=\"Live Q&#038;A\u2014Masking: Deconstructing the Myths\" class=\"hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"441\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/teens-2-700x441.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-recent-posts size-recent-posts lazyload\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271583%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%202560%201583%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271583%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/teens-2-700x441.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/teens-2-320x202.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/teens-2-700x441.jpeg 700w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-10-23T13:56:31-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/live-qa-masking-deconstructing-the-myths\/\">Live Q&#038;A\u2014Masking: Deconstructing the Myths<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-10-23T13:56:31-05:00<\/span><span>August 5th, 2025<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/adults-on-the-spectrum\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Adults on the Spectrum<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/health\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Health<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/medical-care\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Medical Care<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/research-webinar\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/research\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Research<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/webinars\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Webinar<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>     This is a follow-up session to Dr. Dena Gassner's June 11th, 2025, presentation on the same subject. You can watch the live recording for more context and information. In the<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"post fusion-column column col col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-4\"><div class=\"fusion-flexslider fusion-flexslider-loading flexslider flexslider-hover-type-none\"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/sexuality-and-gender\/\" aria-label=\"Gender, Sexuality, and Autism\" class=\"hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"441\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/AdobeStock_238082786-700x441.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-recent-posts size-recent-posts lazyload\" alt=\"puzzle pieces with male and female gender symbols on the pink and blue background. concept equality\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271707%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%202560%201707%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271707%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/AdobeStock_238082786-700x441.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/AdobeStock_238082786-320x202.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/AdobeStock_238082786-700x441.jpeg 700w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2024-08-07T10:38:10-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/sexuality-and-gender\/\">Gender, Sexuality, and Autism<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2024-08-07T10:38:10-05:00<\/span><span>July 12th, 2024<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/adults-on-the-spectrum\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Adults on the Spectrum<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/autism-spectrum-disorders\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Autism Spectrum Disorders<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/gender\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Gender<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/health\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Health<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/self-care\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Self Care<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/seniors\/\" rel=\"category tag\">seniors<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/sensory\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Sensory<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/sexuality\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Sexuality<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/webinar\/social-skills\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Social Skills<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/autism-spectrum-disorders\/ways-to-help\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Ways to Help<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/webinars\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Webinar<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>    Dr. Wenn Lawson, Ph.D., delves into the intersection of autism, sexuality, and gender. He describes monotropism as a theory of attention and addresses common sex differences in autism. The presenter discusses<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"post fusion-column column col col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-4\"><div class=\"fusion-flexslider fusion-flexslider-loading flexslider flexslider-hover-type-none\"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/gender-discomfort-and-autism\/\" aria-label=\"Gender Discomfort and Autism\" class=\"hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"441\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/AdobeStock_557444134-700x441.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-recent-posts size-recent-posts lazyload\" alt=\"Person made of colorful data in the virtual reality\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271707%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%202560%201707%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271707%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/AdobeStock_557444134-700x441.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/AdobeStock_557444134-320x202.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/AdobeStock_557444134-700x441.jpeg 700w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2024-11-22T08:34:54-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/gender-discomfort-and-autism\/\">Gender Discomfort and Autism<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/autismadmin\/\" title=\"Posts by autismAdmin\" rel=\"author\">autismAdmin<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2024-11-22T08:34:54-05:00<\/span><span>June 16th, 2023<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>   \"I think society has an expectation where you have to be male or female, or you can be somewhere in between [...]. But they don't get that, actually, there are many genders<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"post fusion-column column col col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-4\"><div class=\"fusion-flexslider fusion-flexslider-loading flexslider flexslider-hover-type-none\"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/lgbtq-and-autism\/\" aria-label=\"LGBTQIA+ and Autism\" class=\"hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"441\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/lgbtq-700x441.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-recent-posts size-recent-posts lazyload\" alt=\"Happy diverse young friends celebrating gay pride festival\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271707%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%202560%201707%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271707%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/lgbtq-700x441.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/lgbtq-320x202.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/lgbtq-700x441.jpeg 700w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-05-30T18:35:02-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/lgbtq-and-autism\/\">LGBTQIA+ and Autism<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2025-05-30T18:35:02-05:00<\/span><span>June 13th, 2022<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/parenting\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Parenting<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>   Contemporary research on the intersection of autism, sexuality, and gender identity asserts that autistic individuals are more likely to identify as LGBTQIA+ than the neurotypical population. Similarly, the prevalence of autism is<\/p><\/div><\/article><article class=\"post fusion-column column col col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-4\"><div class=\"fusion-flexslider fusion-flexslider-loading flexslider flexslider-hover-type-none\"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/symptoms-are-similar-in-young-boys-girls-with-asd\/\" aria-label=\"Symptoms are similar in young boys, girls with ASD\" class=\"hover-type-none\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"441\" src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/faces-700x441.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-recent-posts size-recent-posts lazyload\" alt=\"Photo collage featuring smiling kids of different ages\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271209%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%202560%201209%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%272560%27%20height%3D%271209%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/faces-700x441.jpeg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/faces-320x202.jpeg 320w, https:\/\/autism.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/faces-700x441.jpeg 700w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"recent-posts-content\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2024-04-28T17:44:29-05:00<\/span><h4 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/symptoms-are-similar-in-young-boys-girls-with-asd\/\">Symptoms are similar in young boys, girls with ASD<\/a><\/h4><p class=\"meta\"><span class=\"vcard\" style=\"display: none;\"><span class=\"fn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/author\/melanie\/\" title=\"Posts by Melanie Glock\" rel=\"author\">Melanie Glock<\/a><\/span><\/span><span class=\"updated\" style=\"display:none;\">2024-04-28T17:44:29-05:00<\/span><span>July 26th, 2021<\/span><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/autism.org\/category\/research\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Research<\/a><span class=\"fusion-inline-sep\">|<\/span><\/p><p>   Research indicates that in school-aged children, teenagers, and adults with autism spectrum (ASD), symptoms differ significantly between males and females. Because of this, there are concerns that the skewed male-to-female ratio of<\/p><\/div><\/article><\/section><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":4696,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,20,4402,5199,3783,9709,3785,9475,24],"tags":[4303,2811,9580,3985,3902,9510,9613],"class_list":["post-20136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-autism-spectrum-disorders","category-news","category-parenting-webinar","category-self-care","category-sensory","category-sleep-issues","category-social-skills","category-ways-to-help","category-webinar","tag-adults","tag-anxiety","tag-autism-in-adulthood","tag-parenting","tag-sleep","tag-sleep-disorder","tag-sleep-disturbances","webinar-author-beth-malow-m-d-m-s"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.6 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - 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