CHD may elevate odds of children having autism

Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) may have a significantly elevated likelihood of having an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a study by researchers in the United States and Singapore.

Nuria Lisset Ontiveros Perez and colleagues analyzed data on 94 children with CHD who required surgery before their discharge from a neonatal ICU and who underwent a high-risk infant follow-up between 18 and 30 months of age. The researchers identified children who received a positive score on the Modified Checklist for Autism Revised/Follow-Up (M-CHAT-R/F) at their follow-up visit. In addition, they identified children who subsequently received an ASD diagnosis.

They report, “[T]he prevalence of autism likelihood based on screening results and the prevalence of the diagnosis of autism was more than three times those rates within the general population.” They also found that the M-CHAT-R/F had an acceptable overall accuracy in distinguishing between children with and without autism.

They conclude, “These results support reliable and routine autism screening for children with CHD at 18-30 months of age and prompt diagnostic evaluations for those with positive screen results.”

Ciations

“Autism screening and diagnosis in children with congenital heart disease,” Nuria Lisset Ontiveros Perez, Pamela M. Rios, Virginia A. Marchman, Ramkumar Aishworiya, Stella Firth Wang, and Heidi M. Feldman, Frontiers in Pediatrics, June 16, 2026 (free online). Address: Heidi M. Feldman, [email protected].