Related Experiment Videos
A comparison of obstetric and neonatal complications between children with autistic disorder and their siblings
1Welsh Centre for Learning Disabilities, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales.
Insights
This study found no significant link between obstetric complications and autistic disorder in children. However, severe autism cases showed a correlation between these complications and symptom severity.
Area of Science:
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Perinatal Medicine
- Pediatric Neurology
Background:
- Autistic disorder, diagnosed via DSM-3-R criteria, affects children aged 5-19.
- Previous research suggests potential links between prenatal/perinatal factors and autism.
- Understanding these links is crucial for early identification and intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between obstetric and neonatal complications (ONC) and autistic disorder.
- To compare ONC scores in autistic children and their unaffected siblings.
- To explore correlations between ONC scores and autism severity.
Main Methods:
- Population-based study in Aberdeen, Scotland, identifying 61 children with autistic disorder.
- Retrospective review of obstetric records for autistic children and sibling controls.
- Application of modified Prechtl's and Parnas obstetric optimality scales to assess complications.
- Statistical analysis using Spearman's correlation and Wilcoxon test.
Main Results:
- No significant correlation found between overall Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) scores and ONC scores in all autistic children.
- A significant correlation emerged between CARS scores and specific ONC scores in the subgroup of 20 severe autistic children.
- No statistically significant difference in obstetric optimality scores was detected between autistic children and their siblings.
Conclusions:
- While overall obstetric complications do not strongly correlate with autistic disorder, specific complications may be linked to severity in some cases.
- The study did not find a significant difference in obstetric optimality between autistic children and their siblings.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the complex relationship between perinatal factors and autism spectrum disorder subtypes.
Abstract:
Sixty-one children had a diagnosis of autistic disorder according to the DSM3-R criteria in a population based study of mentally retarded children between the ages of 5 and 19 years in the Aberdeen city area of Scotland. Obstetric case records were traced for 36 out of these 61 autistic children. The obstetric case records of siblings of 30 of these autistic children were also traced. Modified versions of Prechtl's obstetric optimality scale along with that of Parnas were used to score pre-, peri- and neonatal obstetric complications in the autistic group and their normal sibling controls. A Spearman's correlation coefficient test between the scores of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and the Obstetric and Neonatal Complication (ONC) scores of all autistic children did not reveal any significant correlation. However, among the 20 severe autistic children, Spearman's test showed significant correlation between the scores of CARS and some ONC scores. Overall, no statistically significant difference between the autistic children and their siblings in the scores of obstetric optimality was detected by using the Wilcoxon test.