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Prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal factors associated with autism spectrum disorders

Deborah Bilder1, Judith Pinborough-Zimmerman, Judith Miller

  • 1Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. deborah.bilder@hsc.utah.edu

Pediatrics
|May 1, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Advanced maternal age and breech presentation were linked to autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Neonatal factors showed no significant associations. Further research into shared genetic and environmental factors is recommended.

Area of Science:

  • Neurodevelopmental disorders
  • Pediatric medicine
  • Genetics and environmental influences

Background:

  • Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are complex neurodevelopmental conditions.
  • Identifying prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal risk factors is crucial for understanding ASD etiology.
  • Previous studies have yielded mixed results regarding specific risk factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal risk factors associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
  • To utilize a reliable classification method and broad ascertainment for participant identification.
  • To analyze birth certificate data for potential risk factors in a large cohort.

Main Methods:

  • A nested case-control study design was employed using 8-year-old children born in Utah in 1994.
  • Participants with ASD were identified using the 2002 Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network criteria.
  • Birth certificate records of 132 children with ASD and 11,500 matched controls were analyzed for 23 risk factors.

Main Results:

  • Prenatal factors associated with increased ASD risk included advanced maternal age and parity.
  • Maternal education duration showed a small but statistically significant association with ASD.
  • Perinatal factors linked to ASD were breech presentation and primary cesarean delivery; the latter's association was eliminated when accounting for breech presentation.
  • No significant associations were found between ASD and neonatal factors.

Conclusions:

  • The association between breech presentation and ASD may indicate shared etiology rather than a direct causal link.
  • Advanced maternal age and parity are potential risk factors for ASD.
  • Further research is needed to explore the interplay of genetic and environmental factors in ASD development.
Abstract

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