The story

A small study of toddlers finds that about one-quarter of babies born very prematurely had signs of autism on an early screening test.

The research is preliminary since formal autism testing wasn't done. But the results are provocative, suggesting that tiny preemies may face greater risks of developing autism than previously thought.

That suggests autism may be an under-appreciated consequence of medical advances enabling the tiniest of premature babies to survive, said lead author Catherine Limperopoulos, a researcher at McGill University in Montreal and Children's Hospital in Boston.

She emphasized that the results don't mean extreme prematurity causes autism, but rather that it might be among contributing factors. Watch as Dr. Sanjay Gutpa reports on the study

The risks associated with being born way too early have mostly been thought of as "neuromuscular, causing damage like cerebral palsy, and cognitive, like mental retardation," said Dr. Alan Fleischman, medical director at the March of Dimes. Read full article »

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.