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Very low birth weight, infant growth, and autism-spectrum traits in adulthood

Riikka Pyhälä1, Petteri Hovi2, Marius Lahti3

  • 1Institute of Behavioural Sciences, and riikka.pyhala@helsinki.fi.

Pediatrics
|November 5, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Adults born preterm at very low birth weight (VLBW) show higher autism-spectrum traits, especially in social interaction. Faster early growth may reduce these effects, suggesting interventions can support neurodevelopment.

Area of Science:

  • Neurodevelopmental disorders
  • Perinatal medicine
  • Autism spectrum disorder research

Background:

  • Preterm birth and very low birth weight (VLBW) are associated with neurodevelopmental risks.
  • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) traits may be influenced by early life factors.
  • Long-term outcomes for VLBW individuals require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare autism spectrum traits in adults born preterm at VLBW versus term-born adults.
  • To investigate the association between infant growth and autism spectrum traits in VLBW adults.

Main Methods:

  • 110 VLBW and 104 term-born adults completed the Autism-Spectrum Quotient.
  • Growth parameters (weight, length, head circumference) were assessed from birth to 1 year.
  • Standardized residuals were used to quantify conditional growth.

Main Results:

  • VLBW adults exhibited higher social interaction and lower attention to detail scores compared to controls.
  • Faster growth from birth to term in VLBW individuals correlated with lower total and social interaction scores.
  • Infant growth from term to 1 year showed no association with autism spectrum traits in VLBW adults.

Conclusions:

  • Higher autism spectrum traits, particularly social interaction difficulties, may persist into adulthood for VLBW individuals.
  • Accelerated early growth (birth to term) might mitigate some neurodevelopmental effects of VLBW.
  • Interventions targeting early growth could potentially improve long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Abstract

Keywords:
autism-spectruminfant growthpreterm birthvery low birth weight

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