CNN (10/30, McPhillips) reports, “Children may be more likely to be diagnosed with autism and other neurodevelopment disorders if their mother had” COVID-19 “while pregnant, according to a new study.” Investigators “analyzed more than 18,000 births that occurred…March 2020 and May 2021, assessing records for laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 tests among the mothers and for neurodevelopment diagnoses among their children through age 3.” The investigators “found that children born to mothers who had COVID-19 during pregnancy were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with a neurodevelopment disorder than those born to mothers who did not have an infection while pregnant: more than 16% versus less than 10%, or a 1.3 times higher risk after adjusting for other risk factors.” The findings were published in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Related Links:
— “Autism diagnosis rates higher among children born to mothers who had Covid-19 during pregnancy, study suggests,”Deidre McPhillips, CNN, October 30, 2025