Exploring the Relation Between Prenatal and Neonatal Complications and Later Autistic-Like Features in a Representative Community Sample of Twins

TY - JOUR

T1 - Exploring the Relation Between Prenatal and Neonatal Complications and Later Autistic-Like Features in a Representative Community Sample of Twins

AU - Ronald, Angelica

AU - Happe, Francesca

AU - Dworzynski, Katharina

AU - Bolton, Patrick

AU - Plomin, Robert

PY - 2010/1

Y1 - 2010/1

N2 - Prenatal and neonatal events were reported by parents of 13,690 eighteen-month-old twins enrolled in the Twins Early Development Study, a representative community sample born in England and Wales. At ages 7-8, parents and teachers completed questionnaires on social and nonsocial autistic-like features and parents completed the Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test. Correlations between prenatal and neonatal events and autistic-like features were weak, both in the whole sample (r = .00-.07) and at the 5% quantitative extreme (phenotypic group correlations = .01-.11), after controlling for socioeconomic status and cognitive ability. Neonatal problems showed modest heritability (13%-14%) and significant shared and nonshared environmental influences (55%-59% and 28%-31%, respectively). Differences in identical twins' neonatal problems correlated weakly with their difference scores on autistic-like features (r = .01-.06).

AB - Prenatal and neonatal events were reported by parents of 13,690 eighteen-month-old twins enrolled in the Twins Early Development Study, a representative community sample born in England and Wales. At ages 7-8, parents and teachers completed questionnaires on social and nonsocial autistic-like features and parents completed the Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test. Correlations between prenatal and neonatal events and autistic-like features were weak, both in the whole sample (r = .00-.07) and at the 5% quantitative extreme (phenotypic group correlations = .01-.11), after controlling for socioeconomic status and cognitive ability. Neonatal problems showed modest heritability (13%-14%) and significant shared and nonshared environmental influences (55%-59% and 28%-31%, respectively). Differences in identical twins' neonatal problems correlated weakly with their difference scores on autistic-like features (r = .01-.06).

U2 - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01387.x

DO - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01387.x

M3 - Article

VL - 81

SP - 166

EP - 182

JO - Child Development

JF - Child Development

IS - 1

ER -