Parental involvement plays a pivotal role in promoting developmental and educational outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study aimed to examine the relationships between social support, parenting stress, and parental involvement by investigating a sample of 245 Chinese parents of children with ASD. Mediation analyses…

Several studies have reported an association of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with central nervous system (CNS) infections and intrauterine infections; however, the results remain unclear. This study aimed to examine this issue using an extensive national database. Utilizing JMDC medical claims database, we conducted a retrospective cohort study…

We examined associations between prenatal oxidative stress (OS) and child autism-related outcomes. Women with an autistic child were followed through a subsequent pregnancy and that younger sibling's childhood. Associations between glutathione (GSH), glutathione disulfide (GSSG), 8-oxo-deoxyguanine (8-OHdG), and nitrotyrosine and younger sibling…

Autistic children show higher rates of co-occurring emotional and behavioural difficulties compared to other children in the general population. However, the environmental factors which contribute to the development of emotional (internalising) and behavioural (externalising) difficulties in autistic individuals are poorly understood. This study…

This study was conducted to assess this association between early life antibiotic exposure and the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in later life. The results showed that early life antibiotic exposure was associated with an increased risk of ASD (OR = 1.13, 95% confidence interval (CI):…

Fetal androgen exposure may be associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We studied 1777 mother-child pairs in the prospective Odense Child Cohort. Prenatal androgen exposure was assessed by maternal 3rd trimester testosterone concentrations, maternal polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and 3 months offspring anogenital distance. ASD traits…

Prenatal cannabis use and maternal stress have been proposed as risk factors for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Black mothers and mothers of lower socioeconomic status (SES) may be especially likely to experience high levels of stress. This study examined the impact of prenatal cannabis use and maternal stress (i.e., prenatal distress, racial…

We examined the association between prenatal fish intake and child autism-related traits according to Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and cognitive development scores in two US prospective pregnancy cohorts. In adjusted linear regression analyses, higher maternal fish intake in the second half of pregnancy was associated with increased child…

Children on the autism spectrum miss more school than their peers, but limited work has explored why this may be. This study aimed to document the frequency at which children on the autism spectrum miss half and full days of school and the reasons for these absences. Parents of 106 school-aged children on the autism spectrum completed online…

The objective of this retrospective analysis of the longitudinal Millennium Cohort Study was to examine whether maternal alcohol consumption in pregnancy (MACP) is associated with the development of childhood autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Data on MACP and ASD were obtained from parental questionnaires. There were 18,168 singleton mother-child…

We systematically reviewed evidence from observational studies on the associations between autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and early-life antibiotic exposure. Eleven articles were included in the review. Prenatal antibiotic exposure was associated with a slightly increased risk of ASD in two cohort studies on overlapping populations and in one…

Mode of delivery, preterm birth, and low birth weight (LBW) are hypothesized to be associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the offspring. Using data from 343 ASD cases (2-8 years) and their age- and sex-matched typically developing controls in Jamaica we investigated these hypotheses. Our statistical analyses revealed that the parish of…

This case-control study explores the association between pregnancy/birth complications and other factors with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Lebanese subjects aged 2-18 years. Researchers interviewed 136 ASD cases from the American University of Beirut Medical Center Special Kids Clinic, and 178 controls selected by systematic digit dialing in…

Opioid use during pregnancy is associated with suboptimal pregnancy outcomes. Little is known about child neurodevelopmental outcomes. We examined associations between maternal opioid prescriptions preconception to delivery (peri-pregnancy) and child's risk of ASD, developmental delay/disorder (DD) with no ASD features, or ASD/DD with autism…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been associated with gastrointestinal (GI) problems, but the nature of this association is unclear. Parents to siblings, concordant or discordant for ASD (N = 217), participated in a web survey covering mother's weight gain during pregnancy, maternal viral/bacterial infection and use of antibiotics, duration of…