TUESDAY, April 22, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Maternal report of infant temperament and developmental milestones at 9 months of age may be associated with early indicators of autism likelihood at 12 months, according to a study recently published online in Pediatric Research.

Erin M. Andres, Ph.D., from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and colleagues used data from a prospective general population birth cohort with maternal-reported measures at 9 and 12 months of age (332 infants) to identify behaviors relevant to early autism screening.

The researchers found that maternal-reported infant developmental milestones and behavioral indicators of difficult temperament, poor adaptability, and sleep problems at 9 months and maternal self-reported subclinical autism characteristics were correlated with maternal-reported, autism-related behaviors at 12 months. There were significant unique associations of infant temperament and developmental milestones with First Year Inventory-Lite v3.1b scores, when controlling for significant effects of maternal Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire scores and education.

“Maternal report of infant temperament and developmental milestones at 9 months were associated with maternal-report early indicators of autism likelihood at 12 months in a general birth cohort,” the authors write. “Follow-up of this cohort is needed to determine associations with formal diagnostic outcomes.”

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