Developmental Profiles of Infants with an Elevated Likelihood of Autism Who Were Born to Mothers with Asthma: a Case Series

Differences in the development of autistic children have been observed within the first year of life. Infant siblings of autistic children who are later diagnosed with autism themselves have differences in temperament, social communication, attention, and sensory and motor behaviors by 12 months of age. However, less is known about the early development of other increased-likelihood groups. Some studies have identified that children born to mothers with asthma have a slightly elevated likelihood of autism. However, no studies have examined other aspects of their early development. Using a case series design, we profiled the temperament (Carey Temperament Scales), sensory (Sensory Profile 2), and global developmental features (Bayley-III) of seven Australian infants born to mothers with asthma who were screened to have an elevated likelihood of autism (First Year Inventory). We found differences from the norms in temperament across the three timepoints (6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months), in the domains of rhythmicity, mood, persistence, and distractibility. Infants had typical sensory features at 6 weeks and 6 months; however, a sensory-sensitivity subtype was observed at 12 months. Lastly, at 12 months, cognitive skills were mostly typical, language skills were underdeveloped, and motor skills varied between infants. Results suggest that there may be a developmental profile indicative of an elevated likelihood of autism in infants born to mothers with asthma. However, due to the small sample size, these findings need to be considered with caution. Further research is needed to confirm diagnoses of autism in our sample.