Prenatal, Perinatal, and Neonatal Factors in Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified, and the General Population

Seventy-four participants (66 males, 8 females) were diagnosed with autism at 2.5 through 4 years of age using the most accurate and up-to-date methods, including the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised. At age 5, all participants were reevaluated using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Revised, resulting in 61 autistic and 13 PDD-NOS participants. The autism group was found to have a significantly higher incidence of uterine bleeding, a lower incidence of maternal vaginal infection, and less maternal use of contraceptives during conception when compared with the general population.