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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
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Positive Autism Screening in Children Born Preterm.
Nuria Lisset Ontiveros Perez1, Pamela M Rios1, Stella Firth Wang2
1Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
|June 5, 2025
Summary
Autism screening is crucial for preterm infants, with 12.2% showing positive results. Lower gestational age was the key factor, emphasizing early developmental assessments for this vulnerable population.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Development
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is more prevalent in preterm-born children compared to term-born infants.
- Early identification of ASD in high-risk populations is critical for timely intervention and improved outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of positive autism screening results in preterm infants.
- To identify sociodemographic, clinical, and neurodevelopmental factors associated with positive autism screens in this cohort.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of data from a high-risk infant follow-up clinic.
- Inclusion of infants born before 32 weeks gestation between 2016-2020, assessed at 18-30 months.
- Classification into positive (M-CHAT-R/F score > 2) and negative (≤ 2) screening groups for comparison of factors.
Main Results:
- The prevalence of positive autism screens was 12.2% among preterm infants.
- Lower gestational age was the sole significant factor associated with positive screens in multivariate analysis (p=0.04).
- The positive-screen group exhibited lower mean language scores, though language delays were also present in 36.6% of the negative-screen group.
Conclusions:
- The high prevalence underscores the necessity of early autism screening for all preterm children.
- Gestational age is a primary predictor of positive autism screens in preterm infants.
- Language difficulties are common in preterm infants regardless of autism screen status, necessitating comprehensive developmental monitoring.
