Therapist Unlimited Blog

Those children who are born more than three months premature have double the expected rate of autism at age two as full-term children, according to a recent research.
In a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, it was observed that 26 percent of babies born extremely premature had cognitive impairment.
The researchers based on the report also discovered that about one in 10 of the extremely premature infants who did not have other health problems (including cerebral palsy, mental impairment, or vision or hearing problems) tested positive for autism at age two.
The researchers got their data by a survey of the behaviour dubbed the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT).
Accordingly based on the study, not all children who test positive definitely have the brain development disorder.
Autism spectrum disorders (which include a range of diagnoses, from mild to more severe autism) are not typically diagnosed until age three or older, and M-CHAT is not considered a definitive test.
The researchers hope the result of this study should serve as motivation to the parents of extremely premature infants to take good care more of their children to keep them away from chances of suffering from autism.
Parents around the world need to realize that although there is no cure for autism the treatment need to given early before things could get worse.

Parents of extremely premature infants need to be more careful since their babies are at risk of suffering from autism.