Since my twin sons were premature and relatively low birth weights, 4 pounds 1 ounce and 4 pounds 11 ounces I was quite intrigued by the recent article that I noticed on Autism Speaks website.

As advances in medicine and discoveries in health sciences have lead to increased survival of infants born prior to 33 gestational weeks, there is a greater interest in understanding the later health and development of these children as they develop. This year, multiple studies reported findings of increased risk of autism in cohorts of infants born prior to 33 weeks or with very low birth weight (less than 3 lbs, 5 ounces). Researchers studied cohorts from across the globe and screened for multiple behavioral outcomes from age 4-14 years of age, including ADHD, autism, conduct disorders, phobias, cognitive delays and emotional problems. These findings expand and complement previous reports using cross sectional designs that have identified low birth weight and gestational age as risk factors for autism1.

Here is a link to the article and the references for the data:–>http://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science_news/prematurity_as_risk_factor.php