Relationships between Autism Spectrum Disorder, language delay and prematurity
A scoping review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23925/2176-2724.2026v38i1e73134Keywords:
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Autistic Disorder, Prematurity, Language Studies, Child Language, Language DevelopmentAbstract
Introduction: The prevalence of prematurity and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has increased in recent years. Although the etiology of ASD may be genetic, certain groups of children, such as premature infants, are at higher risk for ASD. Objective: To map data reported in the literature on the association between autism spectrum disorder and prematurity. Objective: To map data reported in the literature on the association between autism spectrum disorder and prematurity. Methods: This is a literature review, in which the guiding question was used as the research strategy, followed by the selection of articles and compilation of results. The selection criteria were: studies with samples of children that addressed autism spectrum disorder, language development and prematurity. After reading the titles, descriptors, abstracts and reading the articles in full by independent evaluators, the data recorded for the review were: year and country of publication, type of study, sample, instruments used and main findings. Results: The initial search included 144 articles. Of these, 68 were excluded due to duplication, 54 through independent reading of the titles and abstracts and one because it was a case study. Of the remaining 22, after reading in full, 13 were selected because they met the established inclusion and exclusion criteria. Conclusion: The analysis of the selected studies allowed us to conclude that there may be an association between autism spectrum disorder and prematurity, however, there was no evidence of which prematurity factor may influence the emergence of signs of autism or the diagnosis of the disorder.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Blenda Stephanie Alves e Castro, Andrezza Gonzalez Escarce, Heduarda Luísa Alves Ribeiro, Thamires Ismail Radwan Cardoso, Denise Brandão de Oliveira e Britto
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