Eva had already told us an April about a study that showed an increased risk of autism in very premature babies. Now, a new study from Boston University in collaboration with Harvard University published in The Journal of Pediatrics reinforces the evidence related to extreme prematurity with autism spectrum disorders.
Apparently, the cognitive sequelae presented by very premature children under 28 weeks of gestation due to their immaturity can lead to pathologies of social interaction.
Researchers have found that very premature babies were more likely to obtain a positive result in the Modified Questionnaire for Communicative and Social Development in Children (M-CHAT), the method used internationally to detect Disorders Autism Spectrum (ASD) in children aged 18 to 60 months.
Although the tests to detect autism are usually done after 3 years, scientists did it at 2 years because of the special characteristics of children. The figures revealed 21% of positive results in the questionnaire, compared to 5%, which is the average percentage detected in primary care consultations.
The studies are aimed at a relationship between autism and extreme prematurity, although they affirm that it is necessary to continue investigating whether the children who tested positive then develop autism or perhaps other neurodevelopmental pathologies.
However, it is a sign that these children should be specially controlled during the first year of life to detect possible disorders early.
