title: Extremely Preterm Born Children at Very High Risk for Developing Autism Spectrum Disorder.
abstract: This study aimed to provide a more comprehensive picture of the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a geographic cohort of extremely preterm born adolescents by using established diagnostic instruments in addition to screening instruments. 53 participants passed a screening procedure with two screening instruments and a diagnostic evaluation with a semi-structured assessment and a parent interview. 28 % of the adolescents had a community based clinical diagnosis of ASD. When research diagnoses were also taken into account, this rate increased to 40 %. Intellectual disability, language impairment and behavioural difficulties are characteristic for these children with ASD. This study is to our knowledge the first to use ASD-specific diagnostic instruments to confirm ASD diagnoses in extremely preterm born children in early adolescence. The study expands findings of previous research and raises the need for follow-up into late childhood and early adolescence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium. liedewij.verhaeghe@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Liedewij
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Verhaeghe
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Mieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dereu
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Warreyn
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: De Groote
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatal Intensive Care, University Hospital Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Piet
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vanhaesebrouck
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Roeyers
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D062071:Infant, Extremely Premature; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011599:Psychopathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic
keywords: Extremely preterm born children; High prevalence of ASD; Late childhood and early adolescence; Screening tools and ASD specific diagnostic measurements