title: Screening for autism in preterm children with extremely low and very low birth weight.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies of children with very low birth weight (VLBW, 1,000-1,500 g) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW, less than 1,000 g) indicate that this population seems to be at increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents of 101 VLBW and ELBW children (age 2 years, corrected for prematurity) agreed to participate in the study and signed informed consents; however, parents of only 75 children (44 boys, 31 girls) completed the screening questionnaires. The screening battery included the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile Infant-Toddler Checklist (CSBS-DP-ITC), and the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile (ITSP). Children with disabilities were excluded. All children who screened positive on any of the screening tools were subsequently invited for a detailed assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-two children (42.7%) screened positive on at least one of the screening questionnaires. The screening tool with the most positive results was the CSBS-DP-ITC (26 positive screens), followed by the M-CHAT (19 positive screens) and the ITSP (11 positive screens). Of the 32 children who tested positive, 19 participated in the detailed follow-up assessment. A diagnosis of ASD was confirmed in eight of the 19 children. ASD prevalence, calculated from those 19 children and those with negative screening results (43 children), yielded a prevalence of 12.9% in the sample. The difference in frequency of positive screens between the tests was significant (P=0.011). In pair comparisons, ITSP was found to be significantly less positive than CSBS-DP-ITC (P=0.032). No significant differences were found between the M-CHAT and CSBS-DP-ITC or between the M-CHAT and ITSP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results strongly support the hypothesis of an increased prevalence of autism in children with a birth weight less than 1,500 g.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Psychiatry, Charles University Second Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Iva
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dudova
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Charles University Second Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kasparova
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Charles University First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Markova
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Charles University Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zemankova
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Psychiatry, Charles University Second Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Stepanka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beranova
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Urbanek
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Psychiatry, Charles University Second Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Motol, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hrdlicka
keywords: Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule; autism spectrum disorder; preterm children; prevalence; screening