Table 3.
Sample characteristics and quality criteria for included papers
| Author | Location | Gestational age of sample | Diagnostic tools used | Sample Size | No. preterm individuals scored over the autism threshold | Quality Criteria | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autism | Sample Identification | Design | ||||||
| Abolfotouh et al, 2018 [26] | Saudi Arabia | 22-23wks (10) | Denver developmental screening test | 63 |
4 (Hyperactive autistic) |
1 | 1 | 3 |
| 24-25wks (43) | ||||||||
| 26-28wks (52) | ||||||||
| 29-30wks (12) | ||||||||
| Al-Hathlol et al., 2020 [27] | Saudi Arabia | < 32 weeks or < 1500 g | Unspecified questionnaire | 158 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Atladottir et al, 2016 [28] | Denmark | 24–43 weeks | Diagnosis was retrieved from the Danish Psychiatric Central Register | 82,911 | 1203 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Bakian et al, 2018 [29] | Utah | < 37 weeks | Registry of Autism and Developmental Disabilities | 4855 |
112 (ASD) |
1 | 2 | 2 |
| Boone et al, 2018 [30] | Columbus | < 30 weeks | PDDST-II-DCS | 528 | 190 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| ADOS-2 | 555 |
24 (ASD) |
||||||
| Bröring et al, 2018 [31] | Amsterdam | Very preterm (30.2 mean) | SRS, Children’s Communication Checklist, SCQ | 57 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Brumbaugh et al., 2020 [32] | Minnesota | < 37 weeks | Medical and educational records | 7876 | 266 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Chen et al., 2020 [33] | Taiwan | < 32 weeks or < 1500 g | ADOS and ADI-R | 324 | 30 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| De Groote et al, 2006 [34] | Belgium | < 37 weeks | Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic | 25 |
2 (Autism) |
2 | 1 | 3 |
| De Oliveira Holanda et al., 2020 [35] | Brazil | < 37 weeks | MCHAT | 40 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Dudova et al, 2014 [36] | Prague | NR | M-CHAT | 157 | 28 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| ADOS | 33 | 15 | ||||||
| Gray et al, 2015 [37] | Brisbane | very preterm | MCHAT, The CBCL & DASS | 97 |
13 (Autism) |
1 | 1 | 3 |
| Guy et al, 2015 [23] | East Midlands | 32–36 weeks | MCHAT & follow up phone interview | 634 | 92 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Hack et al, 2009 [38] | America | 26 weeks | Parent Child Symptom Inventory | 219 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Harel-Gadassi et al., 2018 [39] | Jerusalem, Israel | 31.16 (mean) | M-CHAT | 93 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| ADOS-T | 101 | 8 | ||||||
| Hubert et al., 2020 [40] | Poland | GA Mean 27.8 | Childhood autism spectrum test | 89 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Hvidtjorn et al., 2011 [41] | Denmark | < 37 | Public child mental health service | 37,283 | 277 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Hwang et al, 2013 [42] | Taiwan | Late preterm = 1078, Later preterm = 28,947, Full-term = 1,104,071 | Coded by doctors based on ICD-9-CM | Early preterm = 1078, Later preterm = 28,947 | Early preterm = 24, Later preterm = 387 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Ikejiri et al, 2016 [43] | Juntendo | > 33 Weeks | DSM-4-TR | 59 |
9 (ASD) |
1 | 1 | 3 |
| Indredavik et al., 2004 [44] | Norway | GA mean: 28.8 | Interviewed and conclusions drawn according to DSM | 56 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Johnson et al, 2010 [45] | UK & Ireland | < 26 | SCQ | 189 | 29 (ASD) | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Johnson et al, 2018 [24] | England | 32 wks = 38 | MCHAT | 638 | 92 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Joo et al., 2015 [46] | Korea | 24–36 | CARS | 58 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Kihara et al., 2015 [47] | Japan | GA mean: 27.4 | Clinical assessments & DSM criteria | 321 | 35 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Klimek et al., 2018 [48] | Poland | 28 weeks (Mean) | The Childhood Autism Spectrum Test | 86 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Kuban et al 2009 [49] | US | before 28 weeks gestation | MCHAT | 988 | 212 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Kuzniewicz et al, 2014 [50] | California | < 24 weeks | ASD evaluation centre | 15,696 | 280 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Laerum et al., 2019 [51] | Norway | 28.9 weeks (mean) | Autism Spectrum Quotient | 59 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Lean et al., 2020 [52] | USA | < 30 weeks | ADOS & Parent report | 85 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Leavey et al, 2013 [53] | California | Diagnostic codes | 33,121 | 213 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Lederman et al, 2018 [54] | São Paulo, Brazil | 29.5 (mean) | M-CHAT & Autism Behaviour Checklist | 60 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Limperopoulos, et al, 2008 [15] | Boston | NR | MCHAT | 91 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Matheis et al, 2018 [55] | Louisiana | < 37 Weeks | BISCUIT Part 1 | 687 | 213 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Mir et al., 2020 [56] | Texas | < 28 weeks | MCHAT | 218 | 31 | |||
| ADOS & CARS | 218 | 16 | ||||||
| Mohammed et al., 2016 [57] | Saudi Arabia | GA 27–33 | Clinical assessments & DSM | 107 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Moore et al, 2012 [25] | England | NR | MCHAT | 523 |
216 (Positive result on the MCHAT Autism) |
1 | 3 | 3 |
| Nagai et al., 2020 [58] | Japan | VLBW < 1500 | DSM-5 and ADOS | 38 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Persson et al., 2020 [59] | Norway | < 37 weeks | Medical records | 165,845 | 3544 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Pineda et al., 2014 [60] | USA | < 30 weeks | MCHAT | 77 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Pinto-Martin et al., 2011 [21] | New Jersey | GA mean:31.2 | ADI-R/ADOS | 623 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| SCQ | 623 | 117 | ||||||
| Pritchard et al, 2016 [61] | Australia | < 29 Weeks | ADOS-G | 15 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| M-CHAT | 169 | 22 | ||||||
| Rand., et al. 2016 [62] | New Zealand | < 32 | DAWBA | 102 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Rutkowska, et al, 2018 [63] | Poland | < 28 Weeks |
Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers & Young Children |
10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sharp et al., 2018 [64] | Australia | 22–24 wks | Multidisciplinary team assessment | 159 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Stephens et al, 2012 [65] |
NICHD Neonatal Research Network |
< 27 weeks | PDDST-II & adapted items from the ADOS | 554 | Positive screen - 113 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Sumanasena et al., 2018 [66] | Sri Lanka | < 34 | DSM Criteria | 39 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Treyvaud et al, 2013 [14] | Melbourne Australia, | < 30 weeks | DAWBA | 177` |
8 (ASD) |
1 | 1 | 3 |
| Twilhaar et al., 2019 [67] | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 29.2 weeks (mean) | Social Responsiveness Scale | 60 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Verhaeghe et al, 2016 [68] | Belgium | Before 27 weeks | SRS | 47 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| ADOS, and The ADI-R | 43 | 14 | ||||||
| Vermeirsch et al., 2020 [69] | Belgium | < 30 weeks | SRS | 55 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| ADOS, ADI-R & clinical information | 55 | 7 | ||||||
| Yaari, et al, 2016 [70] | Israel | 24–34 weeks | The AOSI and ADOS-T | 99 | High ASD risk – 8, Low ASD risk - 91 | – | – | – |
| Yang et al., 2015 [71] | Taiwan | Mean BW 1200 g | Diagnostic tools, observations and parental reports | 61 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| You et al., 2019 [72] | China | 35.5 weeks (mean) | M-CHAT | 102 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 3 |