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Extremely preterm birth and autistic traits in young adulthood: the EPICure study
Helen O'Reilly1,2, Yanyan Ni3, Samantha Johnson4
1Institute for Women's Health, University College London, Medical School Building, 74 Huntley Street, London, WC1E 6AU, UK. h.o'reilly@ucl.ac.uk.
Molecular Autism
|May 7, 2021
Summary
Young adults born extremely preterm (EP) show higher autistic traits and autism diagnoses compared to term-born peers. Early screening for autistic traits in EP individuals can identify those needing support for social difficulties.
Area of Science:
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Developmental pediatrics
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Extremely preterm (EP) birth is associated with a high prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- Many EP survivors experience subclinical difficulties related to autism, exceeding those with formal diagnoses.
- Understanding autistic traits and the broader autism phenotype in EP individuals is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate autistic traits of the broader autism phenotype in young adults born EP.
- To explore the relationship between these traits and emotion recognition, empathy, and childhood autism symptoms.
- To determine the prevalence of autism diagnoses in this cohort.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 129 young adults born before 26 weeks of gestation and 65 term-born controls were assessed at 19 years.
- Participants completed the Broader Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ), Empathy Quotient, and facial affect recognition tests.
- Parent-reported Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) data from age 11 were also analyzed.
Main Results:
- EP young adults exhibited significantly higher autistic traits (BAPQ scores) than controls.
- Childhood SCQ scores correlated with young adult BAPQ scores in the EP group (r=0.484, p<0.001).
- EP individuals showed lower emotion recognition and empathy, mediated by IQ; 10% of EP participants received an autism diagnosis versus 1.6% of controls, with 31% of EP individuals meeting criteria for the broader autism phenotype.
Conclusions:
- A substantial proportion of extremely preterm survivors experience autism-related difficulties beyond formal diagnoses.
- Autism symptom scores in childhood moderately correlate with autistic traits in young adulthood.
- Screening for autistic traits in childhood is recommended for EP individuals to facilitate timely intervention for social difficulties.
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