P023 A Longitudinal Analysis of the Sleep Health of Neurodivergent and Neurotypical Children in Aotearoa

Abstract Healthy sleep promotes physical, mental and neurobehavioural well-being, however it is widely acknowledged that neurodivergent children often experience sleep difficulties. We aimed to investigate the sleep health of neurodivergent (ND) children and neurotypical (NT) children in the Growing Up in New Zealand study over time. Methods Sleep duration, night wakings, and maternally reported sleep problems at 45-months, 2-years and 8-years were examined. Children were categorised into four groups based on Age-8 neurotype (ND/NT) and ethnicity (Māori/non-Māori) data and analysed using one-way ANOVA and chi square. Results Eight-year-old ND Māori had shorter average (mean [SD] hours) sleep (9.52 [1.30]) than NT non-Māori (9.76 [1.15], p=.016). At 2- and 8-years, a smaller proportion (% [95% CI]) of ND Māori (2-years 79.5% [72.6-85.2]; 8-years 77.0% [69.8-83.2]) and NT Māori (2-years 83.2% [80.6-85.6]; 8-years 80.0% [77.2-82.8]) had recommended sleep durations compared to NT non-Māori (2-years 87.2% [86.0-88.3]; 8- years 86.1% [84.9-87.3]). Similar patterns were observed for the other sleep measures, whereby a smaller proportion of ND children had an ‘appropriate’ number of night awakenings at 45-months and 8-years (Māori and non-Māori) compared to NT non-Māori. A larger proportion of ND children (Māori and non-Māori) had problematic sleep at 45-months and 8-years than NT children (Māori and non-Māori). This study adds to our knowledge of differences in sleep between Māori and non-Māori children, and the timeframe for the emergence of differences in sleep between ND and NT children.