High rate of autism found in children born premature: Study

That suggests autism may be an under-appreciated consequence of medical advances enabling the tiniest of premature babies to survive, said lead author Catherine Limperopoulos, a researcher at McGill University in Montreal and Children’s Hospital in Boston.

She emphasized that the results don’t mean extreme prematurity causes autism, but rather that it might be among contributing factors.

The risks associated with being born way too early have mostly been thought of as “neuromuscular, causing damage like cerebral palsy, and cognitive, like mental retardation,” said Dr Alan Fleischman, medical director at the March of Dimes.

“The study says there are also social and behavioral consequences which look like autism,” Fleischman said.

And he said it underscores a need for early autism screening among youngsters born very prematurely.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends autism screening for all children by age 2. Autism can’t be cured but early behavior therapy can help lessen its severity.

Experts believe autism results from a combination of genes and outside influences. Some advocates believe those factors include childhood vaccines, but scientific studies have not shown that.