Study says COVID pregnancies might have increased autism risk

Among the several health consequences COVID has or might have, a major concern is around the growing risk of autism among those kids who were born to moms who had COVID during pregnancy.
A study presented at a medical conference in Copenhagen in May revealed alarming data on the onset of autism COVID exposed babies at 28 months. They found 23 of 211 children, which is 11%, screened positive for

autism spectrum disorder

, compared with an expected prevalence of 1-2% at that age.
The study, led by pediatric infectious diseases physician Karin Nielsen studied pregnant women and newborns exposed to COVID. “Nielsen had just finished a research project on how the emerging infectious disease Zika was causing severe birth defects. Concerned the new coronavirus might have a similar impact, she began recruiting expectant mothers who tested positive for a new study,” The Japan Times reported citing a Bloomberg story.
Soon after participants in the study began giving birth, medical staff at UCLA’s Mattel Children’s Hospital noticed an unusual trend: a significant number of newborns required intensive care.

This suspicion was confirmed when researchers analyzed video recordings of the infants using the General Movement Assessment, a tool designed to evaluate motor functions and assess risks for

neurodevelopmental disorders

, such as cerebral palsy. Alarmingly, 14% of the babies showed signs of developmental issues during early evaluations. Follow-up clinical assessments painted a similarly troubling picture. By the age of 6 to 8 months, 13 out of 109 infants born to mothers infected with COVID during pregnancy—nearly 12%—failed to meet key developmental milestones.

As the study expanded to include more participants, additional concerning patterns emerged. Approximately 11.6% of toddlers born to mothers with confirmed COVID-19 infections during pregnancy exhibited delays in cognitive, motor, or language development.
The findings of the study coincides with the long term consequences of COVID which are dementia, and early onset of developmental issues. However, the findings of the study remain debatable: while some studies support Nielsen’s results, others indicate little to no heightened risk of developmental or behavioral problems. For example, a study published in JAMA in October 2024, on whether exposure to

maternal COVID infection

in utero is associated with increased risk for neurodevelopmental impairment in early childhood up to age 24 months, had found that there is no association with abnormal neurodevelopmental scores in children through age 24 months.