Autism Screening Is Important in Children Who Were Extremely Premature at Birth

Toddlers who were extremely premature at birth had a high prevalence of positive screening tests for autism as toddlers.

Population-based studies have identified prematurity and low birth weight as risk factors for later development of autism spectrum disorders. To examine this association, investigators in Boston prospectively followed a cohort of 91 extremely premature infants (gestational age, 23–30 weeks) to age 2 years. At a mean corrected age of 22 months, infants were evaluated using the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS). Prenatal, birth, and neonatal ICU clinical data were collected, and brain MRI was performed during initial hospitalizations.

Overall, 25% of children had positive screening results on the M-CHAT. Independent risk factors for a positiv…

Reviewing Author

Cornelius W. Van Niel, MD

Disclosures

EquityMedtronic; Express Scripts; Johnson & Johnson; Merck

Cornelius W. Van Niel, MD

Disclosures

EquityMedtronic; Express Scripts; Johnson & Johnson; Merck