Sources

Every study and source cited on this site, in one list

This page collects the research behind the Science page and the guides on this site, grouped by topic. Where a source is guidance, a dissertation or an informal page rather than a peer-reviewed study, that is noted.

Sleep in autistic adults

• Jovevska et al. (2020), Autism in Adulthood — Sleep quality in autism from adolescence to old age: poor sleep 63.7% vs 46.4% (ages 15–80); largest gap in women and at 20–59. doi.org/10.1089/aut.2019.0034
• Lugo et al. (2020), European Neuropsychopharmacology — Sleep in adults with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD: systematic review and meta-analysis of 42 studies. doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.07.004
• Hohn et al. (2019), Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders — Insomnia severity and sensory hyper-reactivity in 631 adults. doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-03891-8
• Halstead et al. (2021), Autism — The treatment of sleep problems in autistic adults in the United Kingdom: 288 adults, 90% poor sleep, 58% never consulted a doctor. researchportal.northumbria.ac.uk
• Nijhof et al. (2024), Sleep Medicine — Experiences of and treatment preferences for insomnia in autistic adults: qualitative study, 12 interviews. doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2024.08.011
• Russell et al. (2022), Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry — Time trends in autism diagnosis over 20 years in UK primary care: +787% between 1998 and 2018. doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13505
• National Autistic Society (2020) — Sleep: a guide for autistic adults (guidance, not a study). autism.org.uk

Treatment

• Spaargaren et al. (2026), Sleep — i-Sleep Autism: CBT-I adapted with autistic adults, randomised controlled trial, 163 adults, d = 1.02, clinically meaningful improvement 37.8% vs 11.1%, maintained at six months. doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsag199

Sound, noise & music

• Williams, Suzman & Woynaroski (2021), Ear and Hearing — Prevalence of decreased sound tolerance in autism: meta-analysis, current hyperacusis 41%. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8349927
• Williams (2024), doctoral dissertation, Vanderbilt University — Decreased sound tolerance in autistic and non-autistic adults: 936 adults, 40.2% hyperacusis, 35.5% misophonia in autistic adults. ir.vanderbilt.edu
• Jespersen et al. (2022), Cochrane review — Listening to music for insomnia in adults: 10 studies, 708 participants. doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD010459.pub3
• Riedy et al. (2021), Sleep Medicine Reviews — Noise as a sleep aid: systematic review of 38 studies, very low quality of evidence. doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2020.101385
• MaskSound (ACM ASSETS 2024) — 19 autistic adults rated sound-masking approaches; nature sounds ranked above white, brown and coloured noise. researchgate.net
• Pink noise and sound therapy for hyperacusis — low-pass filtering around 5 kHz (patient-information site, not a study). hyperacusisfocus.org
• Application of white noise in minors with ASD — hospital study in children and teenagers aged 7–17; 9 of 21 without an intellectual disability did not tolerate it. Cited only as a hint; no adult equivalent exists. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12292941
• Hyperreactivity to weak acoustic stimuli and prolonged startle latency in children with ASD — larger startle to quiet sounds; children only. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4008133
• World Health Organization — Safe listening: keep personal audio devices below about 60% of maximum volume. who.int

Google Play

• Google Play — Health Content and Services policy, source of the "not a medical device" wording used on this site. support.google.com