Several factors associated with early births are linked to Autism, that’s what one of the studies released early in honor of World Autism Day on April 2 said. The study found that one-quarter of babies born very prematurely had signs of autism. It indicated that the preemies may face greater risks of developing autism.

The study led by Catherine Limperopoulos, the Canada Research Chair in Brain and Development, an assistant professor in the department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University in Montreal and Children's Hospital in Boston, articulated that premature infants who were born at a very low birth weight -- about 3.3 pounds are under greater risks of developing autism.

Study author Catherine said, "The bottom line is that there appears to be a high prevalence of positive screening for autism in survivors of extreme preterm birth and ongoing follow-up is needed to understand if this initial positive screen is transient or persistent."

Commenting on the study in New York City, Andy Shih, vice president of scientific affairs for Autism, said, "There is a suggestion [from this study] that preterm infants may be at risk for developing autism, but this is really a preliminary finding that needs to be replicated in a large, prospective study."

Limperopoulos and her colleagues studied 91 babies who weighed less than 3 pounds at birth, did MRIs on these infants around the time they were born, and collected information on the child's health and demographic information, as well as information on their prenatal environment. They found that Twenty-five percent of infants tested positive on the M-CHAT had an increased risk of developing autism.

Another study released on the World Autism Day assessed some of the financial impact that having a child with autism can have on a family's finances. The study found that when a child has autism, the family earns an average of $6,200 less each year, or about 14 percent.