Sleep problems are unusually common in people on the spectrum, and yet the topic is poorly understood. In this Cross Talk, five scientists discuss the biggest hurdles they face in understanding the relationship between autism and sleep.

For some, the issues are largely technical: The gold-standard sleep test is time-consuming and costly to administer. For others, it’s a lack of funding, ill-defined terms or fragmentation of the field. Despite the challenges, these scientists agree on the importance of the work, and that progress in this field requires collaboration, investment and large datasets.