Children who were born during the pandemic, including those who were exposed to COVID while in the womb, do not show a higher likelihood of testing positive for autism compared to children who were not exposed or those born before the pandemic. This finding comes from researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Findings indicated that children born in the first year of the pandemic, including any who had prenatal exposure to COVID, were not more likely to screen positive for autism compared to their unexposed or pre-pandemic counterparts, as reported by Columbia University researchers.
The research, published in JAMA Network Open, is the first of its kind examining the autism risk in children born during the pandemic.
“It’s established that autism risk can increase due to various factors impacting the mother during pregnancy, such as infections and stress,” explains Dani Dumitriu, an associate professor of pediatrics and psychiatry who led the study. “Given the extensive nature of the COVID pandemic, many pediatricians and scientists were concerned that we might see an increase in autism rates. Thankfully, our findings show no evidence of such an uptick.”
Dumitriu also emphasizes that the research focused on the likelihood of developing autism rather than formal autism diagnoses. The risk was evaluated through a screening questionnaire completed by parents. “It’s premature to have confirmed diagnostic data,” she remarks. “However, the screening indicates that prenatal exposure to COVID or the effects of the pandemic does not seem to elevate autism risk.”
“There has been widespread speculation about the development of the COVID generation, and this study offers the first insight regarding autism risk,” she adds.
Exploring the connection between autism risk and COVID
Dumitriu’s team has been investigating how COVID, particularly related maternal stress and infection, impacts child neurodevelopment from birth as part of the COMBO (COVID-19 Mother Baby Outcomes) Initiative. The children who were in utero during the pandemic’s early phases are now at an age where signs of autism risk typically begin to appear.
The recent study observed nearly 2,000 children who were born at NewYork-Presbyterian’s Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and Allen Hospital between January 2018 and September 2021. The autism risk was assessed using a neurodevelopment screening questionnaire that pediatricians provide to parents for evaluating toddler behavior. Scores were analyzed for children born during the pandemic, those born before it, and those exposed or not exposed to COVID while in utero, with all participants screened between 16 and 30 months of age.
Positive findings
The investigators reported no differences in positive autism screenings between children born before the pandemic and those born during it.
“Since COVID remains a significant health concern, this is reassuring news for expectant mothers worried about their health and its potential implications for autism risk,” Dumitriu states.
Interestingly, the research also suggested that children exposed to COVID in utero had a lower rate of positive autism screens compared to those whose mothers were not infected with the virus.
“We believe that the occurrence of COVID during pregnancy may have affected how parents viewed their child’s behaviors,” Dumitriu notes. “Parents without COVID might have experienced increased stress from worrying about illness and taking precautions against infection, potentially leading them to report more concerning behaviors in their children.”
Will autism symptoms emerge later in childhood?
As these children grow, researchers will continue to track them for autism diagnoses. However, based on the current findings, Dumitriu is not optimistic about an increase in autism due to COVID.
“The children who were in utero early in the pandemic are reaching an age when early autism indicators surface, and our study does not show those signs,” Dumitriu asserts. “Moreover, given that autism is known to be influenced by the prenatal environment, these results are quite reassuring.”
However, other developmental challenges may arise later in their lives, which is why the researchers will keep monitoring the children’s neurodevelopment as they grow older.
Previous studies of infants born during prior pandemics, natural disasters, and other crises have indicated that different neurodevelopmental issues, potentially triggered by stressful conditions, can appear in adolescence or early adulthood.
“We must recognize the distinctive experiences and environment children born during the pandemic have faced — such as parental stress and social isolation — and continue to track them for any potential developmental or psychiatric differences,” advises Morgan Firestein, the study’s first author and an associate research scientist in psychiatry.
Further details
Dani Dumitriu, MD, serves as an attending pediatrician in the Newborn Medicine Section at NewYork-Presbyterian’s Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital.
The study titled “Positive M-CHAT-R Screening Rates in Pandemic-Born Children” was published online on September 23, 2024, in JAMA Network Open.
Other contributors (mostly from Columbia University and affiliates) 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 (from New York University).
The research received funding 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 declare no conflicts of interest. Additional disclosures are available in the published paper.
