Children with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, achieved greater improvement of constipation and insomnia symptoms when families were involved in setting treatment goals compared with prescriptive treatment goals set by clinicians, according to study results published in Pediatrics.

“Sleep disturbance and constipation are significant concerns for individuals with [ASD],” Kristin Sohl, MD, FAAP, an associate professor of clinical child health at the University of Missouri’s Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, told Infectious Diseases in Children. “They can appear refractory to common treatment options including standardized behavioral intervention and/or medication; however, we learned that engaging families in goal-setting around these issues and applying quality improvement strategies like small tests of change can yield meaningful improvement for children with autism and their families.”