Probing the role of sensory regulation in sleep health and emotion dysregulation for autistic youth - PROJECT SUMMARY Dr. Amy Hartman is a promising, early career occupational therapy scientist who is seeking training to facilitate a smooth pathway towards an independent and impactful research career. Her long-term goal is to support families with neurodivergent children (e.g., autism, ADHD) in areas of emotion dysregulation and sleep-wake disturbances. As her research shifts to focus primarily on the unique experiences of autistic children and their families, Dr. Hartman is seeking training from leading experts on (i) multimodal measurement of emotion dysregulation, (ii) research methods for engaging a pediatric autistic population, and (iii) therapeutic experimental methods and statistics. Dr. Hartman has built a multidisciplinary mentorship team to guide her training through the K23 career development award period that leverages two cutting edge centers at the University of Pittsburgh: the Autism Center of Excellence and the Center for Sleep and Circadian Science. The proposed research study applies the training that Dr. Hartman has carefully crafted. In this study, Dr. Hartman proposes to test a theoretical framework with 60 autistic children (ages 6-10) and their caregivers. This framework examines the complex relationships between (i) bedtime emotion dysregulation, (ii) sleep onset latency, and (iii) sensory over-responsivity, or sensory sensitivities- a common experience for autistic children. Using a micro-longitudinal design with in-lab and at-home data collection, this study will produce rich data to examine day-to-day and person-to-person variability on the constructs of interest. Additionally, Dr. Hartman has developed a sensory-based bedtime manipulation protocol, called the Power Down, that targets sensory over- responsivity as a hypothesized potential mechanism of action. The Power Down combines sensory integration and mindfulness theories to decrease autonomic arousal through a gentle massage and mindfulness script. Continuous ambulatory monitoring of electrodermal activity and actigraphy, coupled with daily caregiver reports of emotion dysregulation and sleep, will provide preliminary measures of the impact of the Power Down on bedtime challenges that are prevalent in autistic families. Through this study, Dr. Hartman will expand the understanding of how the lives of autistic children and their families are impacted by sensory over-responsivity and advance researchers' and clinicians' abilities to support autistic children and their families with improved emotion dysregulation and sleep health. This K23 Career Development award will provide the support Dr. Hartman requires to excel as an independent scientist.
