Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often show motor abnormalities and sleep disturbances that affect behavior, learning, and family quality of life. Emerging technologies such as wearable devices and markerless systems provide accessible tools for gait and sleep assessment, with actigraphy recommended for long-term monitoring in natural settings. Evidence also suggests links between sleep problems and sensory processing differences. This project, aims to integrate these approaches in a clinical-translational framework.
This study aims to better understand how children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) move and sleep in their everyday lives, and how these aspects may be connected to their overall development and well-being. Children with ASD often experience differences in motor skills, such as walking and coordination, as well as sleep difficulties, which can affect their behavior, learning, and family life. To address these challenges, the study uses innovative and non-invasive technologies, including wearable devices (such as wrist sensors and smart insoles) and video-based systems that can analyze movement without the need for markers or complex laboratory setups. These tools allow researchers to monitor children in more natural environments, such as at home, over several days. The project combines three main components: continuous monitoring of daily activity through wearable sensors, detailed gait analysis in a clinical setting, and sleep evaluation using both wearable devices and home-based sleep recordings. By integrating these data, the study seeks to identify patterns in movement and sleep, and to explore how they relate to sensory processing differences often seen in children with ASD. The ultimate goal is to develop more personalized and accessible approaches to assessment and care, helping clinicians and families better understand each child's needs and support their development through targeted interventions.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
The project integrates three complementary modules on the same participant: (A) monitoring with wearable sensors (primary objective), (B) laboratory-based gait analysis, and (C) sleep assessment using home video-EEG polysomnography (PSG). The reference wearable instrumentation follows the technical protocols established by the Politecnico di Milano, which already include the use of the AX6 device and F-Scan GO insoles among the wearable devices available within the research program.
IRCCS San Raffaele
Roma, RM, Italy
RECRUITINGFeasibility and adherence to continuous use of a wearable sensor in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
This objective aims to assess the feasibility and adherence to continuous use of a wearable sensor in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), evaluating tolerability, compliance, and data quality in real-life conditions over a 7-day monitoring period. Feasibility is primarily defined as the proportion of participants completing the protocol with valid data, while adherence is assessed through wear time, data completeness, and caregiver-reported acceptability.
Time frame: 7 days
Gait Pattern
To characterize gait patterns in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder
Time frame: during the enrollment period with wearable sensor
ASD subgroups
To identify potential phenotypic subgroups within the ASD population (e.g., different gait patterns according to age or phenotypic severity)
Time frame: during the enrollment period using the wearable sensor
Daily activity and sleep quality
To investigate the relationship between sleep quality, daily motor activity (daytime activity, fragmentation/variability), and sensory processing.
Time frame: during the enrollment period using a wearable sensor
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Enrollment
80