Co-developing a neurodivergent-affirming intervention for insomnia
CARE@S aims to understand sleep difficulties among autistic adults and adults with ADHD, and to use this understanding to develop an intervention that better reflects their needs, preferences, and circumstances.
Funder: Centre for Autism Research & Education at Strathclyde (CARE@S)
Project Duration: 1 years
Principal Investigator: Professor Leanne Fleming
Research Team: Leanne Fleming1, Declan M. McLaren1.
Institutional details
1 – Strathclyde Sleep Centre, Department of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
Summary
Difficulties with sleep are common in neurodivergent adults, and standard approaches to treatment may not be as effective as in neurotypical populations. This project considers both what contributes to sleep difficulties and what makes treatment difficult to access or put into practice. These questions are related, but may require different responses. For example, adapting how information is presented may make treatment easier to engage with, while changes to treatment content may be needed to address the processes affecting an individual’s sleep.
Through questionnaires, interviews, and workshops, we are exploring people’s experiences of sleep, previous attempts to improve it, and priorities for support. Each stage of this research informs the next, allowing participants to review and challenge our developing understanding and consider how a future intervention should work.
We are using these contributions to refine our understanding of how and why sleep difficulties may arise for neurodivergent adults. Following on from this, we are also considering how support could accommodate differences between individuals, including neurodivergent-specific strengths and challenges, and preferences for how treatment is delivered.
The intended outcome is a framework for a flexible, neurodivergent-affirming sleep intervention, with clear reasons for how and when it should be adapted. This is intervention-development research: participants’ accounts can inform what we develop and why, but further evaluation will be needed to establish whether the resulting intervention improves sleep, for whom, and under what circumstances.
To find out more, please contact declan.mclaren@strath.ac.uk.