A new study on autism has demonstrated that the risk of developing autism among children who were born prematurely is five times greater than among kids born after a full-term pregnancy.
The new study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that five out of every 100 young adults born weighing less than four and a half pounds had autism. This is significantly higher than the estimate by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that one out of every 100 eight-year-old kids has autism.
The professor who led the study, Jennifer Pinto-Martin of the University of Pennsylvania, says she “was surprised”. “I knew it would be higher than the general population…but I thought the rate would be about double”, she said.
Those with autism in the study also showed a higher prevalence for other psychiatric disorders, such as phobias and attention-deficit disorder.
Pinto-Martin said that although her study did not show that being born early causes autism, there is concern that prematurity puts babies’ brains at a higher risk for injury, and perhaps that brain injury could have something to do with autism.
Does your child suffer from birth defects or a brain injury because of medical negligence? If so, you do have legal options to help you get the compensation needed to provide proper medical care for your child.
Cappolino, Dodd, Krebs LLP – birth trauma lawyers