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A comparison of obstetrical records of autistic and nonautistic referrals for psychoeducational evaluations
1Institute for the Study of Developmental Disabilities, Indiana University, Bloomington 47408.
Insights
Most autism studies use typical children as controls. This study compared autistic children to non-autistic children with similar intelligence, finding fewer birth complications in the autistic group. Abnormal birth presentation was more common in autistic children.
Area of Science:
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Perinatal Health
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Background:
- Previous research on autism and perinatal complications often used typically developing individuals as controls.
- This study addresses limitations by comparing autistic children to non-autistic children with similar intellectual functioning.
- Understanding perinatal factors is crucial for early identification and intervention in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between obstetric complications and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- To compare perinatal complication rates between autistic children and a carefully matched non-autistic control group.
- To identify specific obstetric factors that may be more prevalent in children with ASD.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of obstetrical records for 59 autistic children and 28 non-autistic children.
- Utilized an optimality score to quantify the number of obstetrical complications.
- Matched control group based on intelligence range and distribution to minimize confounding factors.
Main Results:
- The non-autistic control group experienced a higher number of obstetrical complications compared to the autistic sample, based on the optimality score.
- Abnormal presentation at birth was the sole factor found to occur more frequently in the autistic sample than in the control group.
- This finding challenges previous assumptions by suggesting a potentially less complicated perinatal history in some autistic individuals compared to matched controls.
Conclusions:
- The study suggests a complex relationship between perinatal complications and autism, with implications for etiological research.
- Abnormal presentation at birth warrants further investigation as a potential risk factor in autism spectrum disorder.
- Future research should focus on meticulously matched control groups to elucidate the precise role of obstetric factors in ASD development.
Abstract:
Heretofore most studies dealing with the association between perinatal complications and autism have used a normal comparison group. In this study obstetrical records of 59 autistic children were compared to those of 28 nonautistic children whose intelligence has a similar range and distribution as the autistic sample. Using an optimality score to reflect number of obstetrical complications, we found that the nonautistic controls experienced less optimal conditions than the autistic sample. Abnormal presentation at birth is the only factor that occurred more frequently for the autistic sample than control sample.