Understanding the diverse developmental pathways of autistic and neurodivergent children and youth is critical to advancing early supports and identifying modifiable factors that may influence lifelong outcomes. In 2019, the prevalence of autism in Canada is estimated to be one in 50 children. Data from the United States has shown a dramatic increase in the prevalence of autism from one in 150 in 2000 to one in 31 children in 2022.
Both genetic and environmental factors, as well as interactions between genes and environment, appear to contribute to autism risk and research is increasingly focused on identifying environmental exposures that are potentially modifiable. While meta-analyses have associated perinatal factors with autism such as gestational diabetes mellitus, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and other conditions affecting neonatal health, many possible exposures remain uninvestigated.
“Against this background it is essential to move beyond simply understanding the risk factors for autism and start to examine variations in developmental trajectories of children with autism,” says Dr. Tim Oberlander, Professor in Pediatrics and the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia. “It is crucial that we further explore trajectories that reflect vulnerability and resiliency, comparing outcomes among children referred for a diagnosis but not diagnosed with autism, children with other forms of neurodivergence, and children without identified neurodevelopmental differences.”
Data access has been approved for a study, lead by Professor Oberlander, along with colleagues Drs. Gillian Hanley (Obgyn) and Angie Ip (Pediatrics), to identify and describe fetal and perinatal factors that could be associated with differential risk of autism; and understand factors that alter developmental trajectories in children assessed for autism, diagnosed with autism, or diagnosed with other developmental disabilities compared to typically developing children. The project builds on work by Dr. Oberlander and his colleagues who are studying the developmental origins of autism.
To answer these research questions, the team will build a population-based cohort using data linked by Population Data BC. This data includes 10 data sets from the BC Ministry of Health, environmental data and data from Perinatal Services BC, Statistics Canada, the BC Ministry of Education and Child Care, the Human Early Learning Partnership, and the BC Autism Assessment Network.
The cohort includes all babies born in British Columbia after Jan 1, 2000 and their mothers. Four sub-groups will be defined: children referred for and diagnosed with autism; children referred for and not diagnosed with autism; children with other developmental disabilities; and, typically developing children. Analyses will examine various sociodemographic variables, maternal conditions that could influence fetal health, labor, delivery and antenatal care characteristics, and neonatal characteristics.
The project is funded by the Sunny Hill Foundation.
