Associations of Maternal Peripregnancy Cannabis Use With Behavioral and Developmental Outcomes in Children With and Without Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Study to Explore Early Development.

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Autism Research : Official Journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2025, v. 18, no. 1: Associations of Maternal Peripregnancy Cannabis Use With Behavioral and Developmental Outcomes in Children With and Without Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Study to Explore Early Development.
• Journal Article:
  Autism Research : Official Journal of the International Society for Autism Research
• Personal Author:
  DiGuiseppi, Carolyn ; Crume, Tessa ; Holst, Brady ; Aiona, Kaylynn ; Van Dyke, Julia ; Croen, Lisa A. ; Daniels, Julie L. ; Friedman, Sandra ; Sabourin, Katherine R. ; Schieve, Laura A. ; Wiggins, Lisa ; Windham, Gayle C. ; Rosenberg, Cordelia Robinson
• Description:
  Some studies report increased prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and associated symptoms with prenatal cannabis exposure. We examined whether associations of maternal cannabis use from 3 months preconception through delivery ("peripregnancy") with behavior and development in the offspring varied with the presence of ASD symptoms. Children ages 30-68 months with ASD symptoms (i.e., met study criteria for ASD or had ASD symptoms on standardized assessments or community ASD diagnosis, N = 2734) and without ASD symptoms (other developmental delay/disorders or general population sample, N = 3454) were evaluated with the Child Behavior Checklist and Mullen Scales of Early Learning. We examined cannabis use during three time periods: peripregnancy, pregnancy, and only preconception. Peripregnancy cannabis exposure was reported for 6.0% of children with and 4.6% of children without ASD symptoms. Preconception-only cannabis use (versus no use) was associated with more aggressive behavior, emotional reactivity, and sleep problems in children with ASD symptoms, but not in children without ASD symptoms. Cannabis use during pregnancy was associated with increased attention and sleep problems in children with ASD symptoms; these associations did not differ significantly by ASD symptoms. Peripregnancy cannabis use was not associated with child developmental abilities regardless of ASD symptoms. In summary, associations of peripregnancy cannabis use with some behavioral outcomes differed in children with and without ASD symptoms. With rising cannabis use among pregnant women, future studies that examine a range of developmental risks associated with timing and patterns of cannabis use prior to conception as well as during pregnancy could inform clinical guidance.
• Content Notes:
  Author manuscript
• Subjects:
  • Humans
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Female
  • Pregnancy
  • Male
  • Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
  • Child, Preschool
  • Child Development
  • Adult
  • Child
  More +
• Keywords:
  • autism spectrum disorder
  • cannabis
  • child behavior
  • child preschool
  • developmental disabilities
  • pregnancy
  • prenatal risk factors
  • sleep wake disorders
• Source:
  Autism Research : Official Journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2025, v. 18, no. 1
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.3284
• ISSN:
  1939-3792 ; 1939-3806
• Pubmed ID:
  39660543
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC11785473
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  U01DD001215/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research/ ; U10DD000184/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research/ ; U10 DD000181/DD/NCBDD CDC HHSUnited States/ ; CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/ ; U01DD001216/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research/ ; U01 DD001215/DD/NCBDD CDC HHSUnited States/ ; P30 ES010126/ES/NIEHS NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U10 DD000180/DD/NCBDD CDC HHSUnited States/ ; U10DD000181/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research/ ; U10DD000182/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research/ ; U01 DD001216/DD/NCBDD CDC HHSUnited States/ ; U10 DD000184/DD/NCBDD CDC HHSUnited States/ ; U10DD000183/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research/ ; U01 DD000498/DD/NCBDD CDC HHSUnited States/ ; U10 DD000182/DD/NCBDD CDC HHSUnited States/ ; U10DD000498/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research/ ; U10 DD000183/DD/NCBDD CDC HHSUnited States/ ; U10DD000180/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research/
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Pages in Document:
  202-216 (25 pdf pages)
• Volume:
  18
• Issue:
  1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/261862/cdc_261862_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.10 MB]
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4079f0c278af8824b19d83b367f3967554a799a00ef9a63ecdbe097ec6e2147ecbf1ad9d6511671df81e578989ae336f58c58fcc87a90619210db35736096477