Social Responsiveness Scale Assessment of the Preterm Behavioral Phenotype in 10-Year-Olds Born Extremely Preterm.
Steven J Korzeniewski, Robert M Joseph, So Hyun Kim and 4 others
PMID 28857804WHAT IT FOUND
Ten-year-olds born before 28 weeks without autism had social impairment more often than expected.
They also more often had cognitive, language, communication, attention, anxiety, and behavior problems, even when IQ was normal.
Key findings
01Sixteen percent of children whose IQ was >85 at age 10 years had SRS total scores >= 65; among the subset of 148 children who had IQ < 85, 27% had SRS-defined social impairment.
02High SRS component scores occurred in 11% to 32% of children in both IQ groups, compared with 4% expected in the general population.
03Children with high SRS scores were more likely than others to have low scores on cognitive, executive function, and language assessments, and to screen positive for ADHD, anxiety, and depression.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
This was an observational study, so associations cannot be treated as proof of cause. Children who survived to age ten years but did not participate were more likely to have indicators of social disadvantage. The study excluded 61 children who met diagnostic assessments for autism spectrum disorder at age 10, so it does not describe that group. The SRS cutoff used was 65, the 96th percentile, which is stricter than the published 60 threshold. Scores on most functional assessments were skewed low, so the analysis focused on scores one or more standard deviations below the expected mean. Of 966 eligible children, 889 returned for assessment and 852 were evaluated by parents with the SRS.
Declared interests
The authors reported no financial relationships and no conflicts of interest relevant to the article.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the higher SRS scores as evidence that extremely preterm birth causes autism-like social impairment. The study was observational, and children who met diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder were excluded.