ASD

NIH Program Study Links Smoking in Pregnant Moms to Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children

Posted on by Jodi Snare
PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Smoking before or during pregnancy may be associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) traits, such as symptoms of social impairments, according to a new study of approximately 11,000 children funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study also observed that full-term babies whose mothers smoked before and during pregnancy had a 44 percent increased risk of receiving an ASD diagnosis later in childhood. The research, titled “Maternal Tobacco Smoking and Offspring Autism Spectrum Disorder or Traits in ECHO Cohorts,” is published in Autism Research.

Rashelle J. Musci, Ph.D. of Johns Hopkins University and Irva Hertz-Picciotto, Ph.D. of the University of California, Davis, led this collaborative effort as investigators in the NIH-funded Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program.

The research team gathered information from children in 13 ECHO cohorts across the U.S. Each cohort either collected diagnoses for ASD, administered the Social Responsiveness Scale to determine social impairments in the children, or both. All cohorts also collected data on the mothers’ prenatal smoking habits and potential confounding variables.

“Future studies can help determine the specific prenatal period at which infants are most susceptible to cigarette smoke exposure and other factors, such as lifestyle habits or paternal smoking, that may influence the child’s development,” Hertz-Picciotto said.

Hertz-Picciotto, I. et al. Maternal Tobacco Smoking and Offspring Autism Spectrum Disorder or Traits in ECHO Cohorts. Autism Research. DOI 10.1002/aur.2693 (2022)

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About ECHO: ECHO is a nationwide research program supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Launched in 2016, ECHO aims to enhance the health of children for generations to come. ECHO investigators study the effects of a broad range of early environmental influences on child health and development. The program consists of two major components, including 69 existing and ongoing observational study cohorts and a pediatric clinical trials network. For more information, visit echochildren.org.

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ECHO Study Suggests Link Between Smoking During Pregnancy and Autism-Related Traits in Children

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ECHO Study Suggests Link Between Smoking During Pregnancy and Autism-Related Traits in Children

Authors: Rashelle J. Musci, Irva Hertz-Picciotto, et al.

 

Who sponsored this study?

This research was supported by the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health.

 

What were the study results?

Smoking before or during pregnancy was consistently associated with ASD traits, such as symptoms of social impairments. Additionally, babies born at full term had a somewhat higher risk of receiving an ASD diagnosis as a child if their mothers smoked before or during the pregnancy.

More counseling is needed for pregnant women or those planning a pregnancy to help them understand how these potential risks for the child’s behavioral development add to other poor outcomes associated with smoking during pregnancy, such as low birthweight, increased likelihood of fetal or infant death, asthma in early childhood, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Footnote: Results reported here represent results from 11 or seven studies, depending on the outcome. Other or future studies may provide new information or different results. Consult your healthcare professional for guidance on how to limit your unborn child’s exposure to tobacco smoke. However, please also note that you have a greater chance of improving your child’s health and their social and behavioral development the sooner you quit or reduce smoking.

 

What was the study's impact?

There are many reasons for women to limit their exposure to tobacco smoke during pregnancy—tobacco smoke increases risk for low birthweight, ectopic pregnancy, a premature delivery, or fetal/infant death. Less research has been done to learn how tobacco smoke can influence children’s health, although studies have linked prenatal smoking to higher childhood asthma and ADHD risk. This study shows how prenatal exposure to cigarette smoke may also harm a child’s social development. Social skills can be important for success in school and getting along with others. Doctors, child educators, and other health and daycare providers should also know that children exposed to prenatal cigarette smoke may also be at higher risk for developing ASD.

 

Why was this study needed?

Previous studies provide varying results on how tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy may affect risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children. Exposures to air pollution, which has many of the same chemicals as tobacco smoke but at lower levels, have also been linked with ASD. ASD is a complex condition that involves not only trouble in social interactions but also communication problems and patterns of repetitive behaviors or narrow interests.

The research team set out to conduct a study with participants from across the U.S. that could clear up inconsistencies found in previous research. Additionally, no other research has looked at the relationship between maternal tobacco smoking and milder autism-like symptoms of social impairment.

 

Who was involved?

Researchers studied approximately 11,000 children in 13 cohorts around the U.S. who either had a diagnosis of ASD, social impairment measurable on the Social Responsive Scale, or both. There also had to be information on exposure to prenatal smoking and other factors that could influence the study results.

 

What happened during the study?

Researchers pulled together and analyzed results from each cohort related to maternal smoking behaviors before or during pregnancy and childhood ASD diagnosis or ASD-related social impairment. The team took specific actions to prevent other factors related to the children and mothers from affecting the quality and consistency of the data.

 

What happens next?

Future studies can help researchers identify when babies are most at-risk to cigarette smoke exposure and how other factors associated with prenatal smoking may contribute to negative health outcomes.

 

Where can I learn more?

Access the full journal article, titled “Maternal Tobacco Smoking and Offspring Autism Spectrum Disorder or Traits in ECHO Cohorts” in Autism Research.

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Published February 24, 2022

 

Access the associated article.

 

 

Download this summary

ECHO Study Suggests Link Between Smoking During Pregnancy and Autism-Related Traits in Children

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ECHO Study Links Prenatal Tobacco Exposure to Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children

Posted on by Jodi Snare

Through a collaborative research effort, Rashelle J. Musci, PhD of Johns Hopkins University and Irva Hertz-Picciotto, PhD of the University of California, Davis found that maternal tobacco use before or during pregnancy was associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) traits, such as symptoms of social impairment. Examples of social, communication, or other behaviors among individuals with ASD include little or no eye contact, difficulty with engaging in conversation, insistence on doing things the exact same way, repetitively, or having a narrow set of interests. Additionally, the researchers found that full-term babies whose mothers smoked before or during pregnancy had a 44% increased risk of receiving an ASD diagnosis later in childhood. Their research, titled “Maternal Tobacco Smoking and Offspring Autism Spectrum Disorder or Traits in ECHO Cohorts” is published in Autism Research.

“Previous studies provide varying results on how tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy affects a child’s risk for autism,” said Dr. Hertz-Picciotto, highlighting the importance of this research.

To collect data, the research team gathered information from approximately 11,000 children in 13 cohorts across the United States. Each of the cohorts either collected diagnoses for ASD or administered the Social Responsiveness Scale to determine social impairments in the children, or both. The research team studied each cohort individually and combined these findings to come up with an overall result. It also collected data on the mothers’ prenatal smoking habits and other potential confounding variables.

“This study adds to existing evidence that suggests that by ceasing smoking before or during pregnancy, the mother benefits her child,” noted lead author Dr. Musci.

Future studies can help determine the specific prenatal period at which infants are most susceptible to cigarette smoke exposure and other factors, such as lifestyle habits or paternal smoking, that may influence the child’s development.

Read the research summary.

ECHO Researchers Explore Validity of Shortened Social Communication Questionnaire

Posted on by Jodi Snare

Are short questionnaires as valid as longer versions when identifying autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other social communication behaviors?

Kristen Lyall, Sc. D.

ECHO researchers Kristen Lyall, Craig Newschaffer, and others hoped to answer this question in their research titled, “Distributional properties and criterion validity of a shortened version of the Social Responsiveness Scale: Results from the ECHO program and implications for social communication research.” This publication, featured in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, examines how well a shortened version of a social communication questionnaire identified behaviors related to ASD and social communication compared to the longer, established version.

More than 3,000 parents from across the United States participated in this study, nearly 200 of which had a child with ASD.

In all, the team found that the short form did well predicting ASD diagnosis and measuring social communication behaviors. These results suggest that shorter surveys can provide correct information about ASD, which would be quicker and easier for the participant to complete. However, more research is needed to see how the short questionnaire compares in other ways to the longer version.

This work is especially important because it may help address the needs of people who do not have autism but face challenges in social communication and could benefit from help. Additionally, it may help reduce the time it takes to complete surveys while still accurately capturing and addressing social communication challenges in those with and without ASD.

For more information, read the study summary.

Heather Volk: Moving ECHO Science Toward Gene-Environment Interaction for Neurodevelopmental Outcomes

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Moving ECHO Science Toward Gene-Environment Interaction for Neurodevelopmental Outcomes

Speaker:

Heather Volk. PhD, MPH

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

 

 

 

Speaker Bio: Heather E. Volk is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mental Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is also Co-Director of the NICHD-funded Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC) at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, and Associate Director for Environmental Epidemiology in the Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research. Dr. Volk additionally is co-Director of the Psychiatric Epidemiology Traning program, supported by a Institutional Training grant (T32) from the National Institute of Mental Health. She also holds a joint appointment in the School’s Department of Environmental Health and Engineering. Dr. Volk earned a MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Boston University and a PhD in Public Health Studies (Epidemiology) at Saint Louis University, prior to post-doctoral training in Enviornmental Genomics through the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC).  She, along with her team, studies how environmental and genetic factors work together to confer risk for neurodevelopmental outcomes, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD).  She is the PI of several NIH-funded research grants which examine how environmental exposures (air pollution, metals) effect brain development, epidemiologic studies of comorbidity with ASD, and leads investigations into joint genetic, epigenetic, and environmental risks for ASD.  Dr. Volk additionally serves as co-PI for the Autism Spectrum Disorder Enriched Risk ECHO Cohort, a collaboration of nine cohorts of infants at high-familial risk for ASD.

Date: Wednesday, September 9, 1 to 2pm

Slides