Robert M Joseph, Thomas M O’Shea, Elizabeth N Allred, Tim Heeren, Deborah Hirtz, Nigel Paneth, Alan Leviton, Karl C K Kuban
Autism Res. 2016 May 25. doi: 10.1002/aur.1644
Eight hundred and eighty nine of 966 (92%) participated. Children screening pos on SCQ were evaluated with ADI-R. Those meeting ADI-R criteria were assessed with ADOS-2. A positive ADOS-2 defined ASD. 26 not assessed for ASD because of severe sensory or motor impairment. 61 children met criteria for ASD (prevalence 7.1% (95% CI = 5.5-9.0). ASD risk decreased with increasing gestational age, from 15.0% for 23-24 weeks, 6.5% for 25-26 weeks, to 3.4% for 27 weeks GA; this association was independent of IQ. Among children with ASD, 40% had ID. The male-to-female ratio was 2.1:1, lower than general pop (4:1). ASD prevalence in ELGAN cohort was four times higher than in general pop, and strongly associated with GA.