Summary: A new study finds that children born during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, including those exposed to the virus in the womb, are no more likely to test positive for autism than children born before the pandemic.
The researchers used neurodevelopmental screening questionnaires in children aged 16 to 30 months and found no difference in risk of autism between these groups.Surprisingly, children born to mothers who had COVID-19 during pregnancy were less likely to screen positive for autism.
The study reassures parents that pandemic-related maternal stress and infection do not appear to increase the risk of autism.
Key Facts:
Children born during the pandemic were not found to be at higher risk for autism than their peers before the pandemic. Children who had COVID in the womb were less likely to test positive for autism. Researchers are continuing to monitor children born during the pandemic for other developmental issues.
Source: Columbia University
Children born during the first year of the pandemic (including those exposed to COVID-19 in the womb) are no more likely to test positive for autism than children who were not exposed or those born before the pandemic, found researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Medicine.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, is the first to report on autism risk among children during the pandemic.
“We know that any kind of stimuli for the mother during pregnancy, such as infection or stress, increase the risk of autism,” said Dani Dumitriou, associate professor of pediatrics and psychiatry and lead author of the study.
“Given the magnitude of the COVID pandemic, pediatricians, researchers and developmental scientists were concerned about rising autism rates. However, reassuringly, our study found no signs of such an increase.”
Dumitriou added that it’s important to note that the study didn’t look at autism diagnoses, but only at the child’s risk of developing autism, as measured by screening questionnaires completed by the child’s parents.
“It’s too early to give definitive diagnostic numbers,” she said, “but the test is predictive and does not indicate that prenatal exposure to COVID-19 or the pandemic increases the likelihood of autism.”
“While there has been widespread speculation about how the COVID generation is developing, this study gives us the first inklings of answers regarding their risk of autism.”
Research on autism risk and COVID-19
Through the COMBO (COVID-19 Mother Baby Outcomes) initiative, Dumitriou’s team has been studying the potential impact of COVID (pandemic-related maternal stress and maternal infection) on children’s neurodevelopment at different points after birth: Children who were in utero during the early stages of the pandemic are now reaching an age when early signs of autism risk may appear.
The study looked at nearly 2,000 children born at NewYork-Presbyterian’s Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and Allen Hospital between January 2018 and September 2021. Autism risk was calculated based on responses to a neurodevelopmental screening questionnaire that pediatricians give to parents to evaluate their toddlers’ behavior.
They compared scores between children born during and before the pandemic, and between children who were exposed to COVID in the womb and those who were not. All children were tested between the ages of 16 and 30 months.
Reassuring results
The researchers found no difference in positive autism tests between children born before and during the pandemic.
“COVID-19 is still quite widespread, so this is encouraging news for pregnant women who may be concerned about infection and the potential impact on autism risk,” Dumitriou said.
Surprisingly, the study also found that fewer children born to mothers who had COVID in utero tested positive for autism compared to children born to mothers who did not have COVID.
“We suspect that having COVID-19 during pregnancy may have influenced parents’ assessments of their children’s behavior,” Dumitriou said.
“Parents who did not have COVID-19 may have been more stressed because they were constantly worried about getting sick and were concerned about preventing infection, and therefore more likely to report concerns about their children’s behavior.”
Can autism develop in childhood?
As the children grow, researchers plan to continue monitoring them for autism diagnoses, but based on the current results, Dumitriou believes a COVID-19-related increase in autism is unlikely.
“Children who were in the womb at the beginning of the pandemic are now reaching the age where early signs of autism would appear, but we don’t see that in this study,” Dumitriou said.
“This is very reassuring, as it is well known that autism is influenced by the prenatal environment.”
But other disorders may emerge later, and researchers plan to continue studying the children’s neurodevelopment as they get older.
Several studies of infants who were in the womb during past pandemics, natural disasters, famines, and wars have shown that other neurodevelopmental disorders, potentially caused by stressful environments, may emerge in adolescence and even early adulthood.
“We need to recognize the unique experiences and circumstances of children born during the pandemic, including parental stress and social isolation, and continue to monitor for potential developmental and psychiatric differences,” said Morgan Firestein, associate research scientist in psychiatry and lead author of the study.
More Information
Dani Dumitriou, MD, is a pediatrician in the neonatology department at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital at NewYork-Presbyterian.
Additional authors, all from Columbia University or affiliated institutions unless otherwise noted, include Angela Manessis, Jen Warmingham, Ruiyang Xu, Yunzhe Hu, Morgan A. Finkel, Margaret Kyle, Maha Hussain, Imaal Ahmed Andréane Lavallée, Ana Solis, Vitoria Chavez, Cynthia Rodriguez, Sylvie Goldman, Rebecca A. Muhle, Seonjoo Lee, Judy Austin, Wendy G. Silver, Kally C. O’Reilly, Jennifer M. Bain, Anna A. Penn, Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, Melissa S. Stockwell, William P. Fifer, Rachel Marsh, Catherine Monk, and Lauren C. Shuffrey (New York University).
Funding: This research was supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH126531 and T32MH016434) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (K99HD108389 and P2CHD058486).
The authors report no conflicts of interest. Additional disclosures can be found in the paper.
About this Autism Research News
Author: Helen Gary
Source: Columbia University
Contact: Helen Garry – Columbia University
Image: This image is provided by Neuroscience News
Original Study: The study findings are published in JAMA Network Open.
