Autism Spectrum Disorder and Postnatal Factors: A Case-Control Study in Brazil

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the magnitude of the association between Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and postnatal factors in a Brazilian population.Methods: A case-control study was performed with 253 individuals diagnosed with ASD and 886 individuals without signs of the disorder. A semi-structured questionnaire and the multiple logistic regression model were adopted in the data analysis. To estimate the magnitude of associations, the crude and adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) was used.Results: An association with the following factors was found: having been born with congenital malformation (OR 4.24; confidence interval of 95% - 95%CI 1.92-9.34), neonatal jaundice (OR 1.43; 95%CI 1.01-2.02), absence of crying at birth and seizure episode in childhood (OR 5.75; 95%CI 3.37-9.81). The magnitude of the association was higher in the children/adolescents who had two or more postnatal complications (OR 6.39; 95%CI 4.10-10.00).Conclusions: The findings of the present study suggest that malformation, neonatal jaundice, absence of crying at birth and seizure episodes in childhood are important factors to be considered when studying the etiology of ASD.

A Pilot Study on Autism Spectrum Disorders in Mali: Parental Concerns About Child Developmental Milestones and Late Diagnostic Age

“…In addition, other disorders in Tables 3-5 (epilepsy, strabismus, and absence of crying at birth) are very frequent in autism [53]. The absence of crying at birth and seizure in childhood were highly associated with autism risk in Brazil (OR 5.75; 95%CI 3.37-9.81) [10]. Even though, strabismus has a low prevalence in Africa [54], it has a strong cultural representation in the West African society in general and in Mali in particular.…”

“…Early ASD intervention requires early ASD risk screening. Various early autism screening tools have been developed in the U.S. to promote early autism risk detection [10]. In developed countries, the modi ed checklist for autism in toddlers-Revised/follow up (M-CHAT-R/F) and the social communication questionnaire (SCQ) are available online to parents who suspect their child at risk of ASD [11].…”

Autism Spectrum Disorders in Mali: Parental concerns about child developmental milestones and late diagnostic age

“…In addition, the other disorders in Tables 3-5 (epilepsy, strabismus, and absence of crying at birth) are very frequent in autism [56][57][58]. The absence of crying at birth and seizure episode in childhood were highly associated with autism risk in Brazil (OR 5.75; 95%CI 3.37-9.81) [10]. Even though, strabismus has a low prevalence in Africa [59], it has a strong cultural representation in the West African society in general and in Mali in particular.…”

Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Premature Subjects Hospitalized in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

“…Significance was set at p < 0.05. The sample size was based on the 2019 Maia study [ 20 ]. The power of the study was established at 80%; significance was set at 0.05 and a 0.18 probability of exposure among the controls.…”