Screening preterm‐born infants for autistic traits may help to identify social communication difficulties at five years of age

Abstract

AbstractAimThis study compared neurodevelopmental screening questionnaires completed when preterm‐born children reached 2 years of corrected age with social communication skills at 5.5 years of age.MethodsEligible subjects were born in 2011 at 24–34 weeks of gestation, participated in a French population‐based epidemiological study and were free of motor and sensory impairment at 2 years of corrected age. The Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) and the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M‐CHAT) were used at 2 years and the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) at 5.5 years of age.ResultsWe focused on 2119 children. At 2 years of corrected age, the M‐CHAT showed autistic traits in 20.7%, 18.5% and 18.2% of the children born at 24–26, 27–31 and 32–34 weeks of gestation, respectively (p = 0.7). At 5.5 years of age, 12.6%, 12.7% and 9.6% risked social communication difficulties, with an SCQ score ≥90th percentile (p = 0.2). A positive M‐CHAT score at 2 years was associated with higher risks of social communication difficulties at 5.5 years of age (odds ratio 3.46, 95% confidence interval 2.04–5.86, p < 0.001). Stratifying ASQ scores produced similar results.ConclusionUsing parental neurodevelopmental screening questionnaires for preterm‐born children helped to identify the risk of later social communication difficulties.