Premature Babies At Greater Risk For Autism?

Researchers in Boston have found that babies born very prematurely–earlier than 28 weeks–are more likely to show signs of autism. So does being born so prematurely lead to autism? Or can autism lead to a premature birth?

Neither, according to researchers. “They may share a common risk that leads to both,” says lead author Dr. Karl Kuban, chief of pediatric neurology at Boston Medical Center. “But it’s not that one causes the other.”

In the study, the children, 16 to 30 months old, were evaluated against an autism screening checklist that looks for early signs of autism. Children in the general population show a positive rate of 5.7 percent. Those in the study showed a 21 percent positive rate. When children with disabilities were removed, the positive rate was 16 percent.

Further research is needed, says Kuban, to find out if any of these children
end up being diagnosed with autism.

Hopefully this study will help parents and doctors of very premature babies look for signs of autism in the hopes of detecting it early, since doctors and researchers have long noted that early intervention is key.