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Cited by 159Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchFamily and Disability Support ResearchMaternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum

Autism spectrum disorders, maternal char vacteristics and obstetric complications among singletons born in Alberta, Canada

Burstyn, I., Sithole, F., Zwaigenbaum, L.·2010·Chronic Diseases and Injuries in Canada
DOI 10.24095/hpcdp.30.4.04
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Abstract

Objective: To determine whether certain maternal characteristics and obstetric complications are associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children. Methods: Provincial delivery records identified the cohort of 218 890 singleton live births in Alberta, Canada,between January 1, 1998, and December 31, 2004. These were followed-up for ASD via ICD-9 diagnostic codes assigned by physician billing until March 31, 2008. Maternal and obstetric risk factors were also extracted from PDR. Results: Prevalence and incidence of ASD in Alberta are in line with those reported elsewhere and suggest recent increases in rate of diagnosis and/or incidence. Boys have 5-fold higher prevalence than girls. The peak age of diagnosis occurs at age 3 years. Relative risk modelling indicates that the risk of ASD is elevated among children of older mothers and those who experience specific pregnancy and birth complications. Conclusion: Certain maternal characteristics and obstetric complications are associated with ASD in children. We identified lower rates of ASD and later age at diagnosis among children of Aboriginal mothers that requires further research.

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  • Poverty was raised in the reviewed literature as a possible contributing factor to low rates of Indigenous children being diagnosed with autism.

    “Poverty was also raised as a possible contributing factor to low rates of Indigenous children being diagnosed with autism (Burstyn et al., 2010; Di Pietro & Illes, 2014, 2016).”

    From Autism and Autism Services with Indigenous Families and Children in the Settler-Colonial Context of Canada: A Critical Scoping Review (2022) · cites this paper as Burstyn et al., 2010

  • The reviewed literature identified living in a rural First Nation as a structural challenge contributing to underdiagnosis and delays in access to appropriate and timely diagnostic and support services for Indigenous children with autism in Canada.

    “and living in a rural First Nation (Ouellette-Kuntz et al., 2006; (Burstyn et al., 2010; Di Pietro & Illes, 2016; Lindblom, 2014b).”

    From Autism and Autism Services with Indigenous Families and Children in the Settler-Colonial Context of Canada: A Critical Scoping Review (2022) · cites this paper as Burstyn et al., 2010

  • The programs described in the reviewed literature included special education, barriers to diagnoses, early diagnosis, misdiagnosis, lack of culturally informed services and cultural understandings of autism, negative systemic impacts and stereotyping, and inequitable access to services and funding.

    “The programs described included special education (Auerbach, 2007; Manitoba First Nations Child and Family Services, 2017), barriers to diagnoses, early diagnosis, and misdiagnosis (Burstyn et al., 2010; Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, 2022; Canadian Autism Partnership Project, 2017; Inman, 2019; Lindblom, 2014; Ouellette-Kuntz et al., 2006), lack of culturally informed services and cultural”

    From Indigenous Autism in Canada: A Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as Burstyn et al., 2010

  • The literature generally offered some focus on the experiences of autism, with the exception of five articles.

    “The literature generally offered some focus on the experiences of autism, with the exception of five articles (Burstyn et al., 2010; Di Pietro & Illes, 2014; El-Hayek, 2007; Ouellette-Kuntz et al., 2006; Stavropoulou-Kampoukou, 2019).”

    From Indigenous Autism in Canada: A Scoping Review (2024) · cites this paper as Burstyn et al., 2010

  • The direction of social class confounding differed by country: in the U.S. and Canada associations were higher after adjustment, whereas in European countries associations were attenuated after adjustment.

    “In the U.S. and Canada, associations were higher after adjusting for sociodemographic variables,52,57 whereas in European countries (Sweden, Finland, and Norway), associations were attenuated after adjustment.51,53,58,59”

    From Environmental Chemical Exposures and Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Review of the Epidemiological Evidence (2014) · cites this paper as [57]

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Authors
Burstyn, I., Sithole, F., & Zwaigenbaum, L.
Affiliations
University of Alberta (CA)
ORCID
Venue
Chronic Diseases and Injuries in Canada
Publisher
Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch (HPCDP) Public Health Agency of Canada
Published
2010-09
Volume
30
Issue
4
Pages
125-134
ISSN
  • 1925-6515 (ISSN-L)
  • 1925-6523
DOI
10.24095/hpcdp.30.4.04
OpenAlex
W2282418264
Cited by
159
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 7
FWCI
4.21
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Chronic diseases and injuries in Canada (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Family and Disability Support Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, maternal characteristics, pregnancy complications, singleton live births, autism prevalence, maternal age, childbirth complications, Aboriginal mothers, sex differences in diagnosis, age at diagnosis, Alberta
MeSH terms
Adult, Alberta, Child, Child Development Disorders, Pervasive, Child, Preschool, Female, Humans, Obstetric Labor Complications, Male, Maternal Age, Medical Records, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications, Incidence, Prevalence, Logistic Models, Age Distribution, Young Adult

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