Injuries in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Study to Explore Early Development (SEED).

The outcome was maternal recall of injuries requiring medical attention over the child's life up to 3-5 years, and recall declines over time, so the study likely underestimates true injury rates. The interview did not ask about poisonings, and parents may not report self-inflicted injuries, so some injury types may be missed. Injury mechanisms were not specified for at least half of reported injuries, so the study could not compare how injuries happened between groups. The general population control group underrepresented mothers of minority race, Hispanic ethnicity and low education, which may bias associations if those families responded differently. The comparison group with non-ASD developmental delays included many different disorders, including language, motor, hearing and sensory integration problems, so injury risk may vary within that group. The study did not assess gross motor impairment, which may affect fall risk and injury risk. The significant finding for any injury compared with the developmental delay group was not seen for serious injury, and attention problems attenuated the association, so it may not reflect an independent autism effect.

The paper states that the author declared no conflict of interest.

Do not conclude that autism alone makes young children more likely to need medical attention for injuries. The comparison with typically developing children showed no significant difference. The increased odds compared with children with other developmental delays was not seen for serious injuries, and attention problems reduced the association.