Thursday, May 20, 2010
Franklin Hall B Level 4 (Philadelphia Marriott Downtown)
3:00 PM
Background: No research is available in examining the impact of breastfeeding on the intellectual quotient (IQ) of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). However, previous research shows significantly higher IQ scores in typically developing children that were breastfed during infancy than those who were not. This suggests that breastfeeding may have a protective effect on children. A potentially protective effect in ASD is especially interesting due to both the numbers of children with both ASD and Intellectual Disability and hypotheses regarding the role of immune disorders in the development of ASD.
Methods: Individuals who were evaluated and diagnosed with ASD were chosen from an archival database. The current study utilized scores from the Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale (ADOS) to determine symptom severity and the Wechsler Individual Scale-IV (WISC-IV) to ascertain IQ. Additionally, medical background records were used to determine if individuals were breastfed, bottle fed, or both. Data entry is ongoing, and at the time of this poster presentation, approximately 100 individuals will have the required data.
Results: One-way Analysis of Variance will be used to assess the potential impact of breastfeeding versus bottle feeding versus both methods of feeding on IQ scores and symptom severity. We predict that ASD severity level will be lower in individuals who were breastfed during infancy. In addition, we hypothesize that IQ levels will be higher in those who were breastfed during infancy.
Conclusions: Previous research shows that little has been done with the autism population compared to the typically developing population around factors that could serve a protective function to later development. Given the strong correlations between better outcome in those without autism and breastfeeding, it is anticipated that this could be an area of good impact. Thus, recommending breastfeeding to all expectant mothers could possibly increase the positive effects on their children’s health and quality of life.
Methods: Individuals who were evaluated and diagnosed with ASD were chosen from an archival database. The current study utilized scores from the Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale (ADOS) to determine symptom severity and the Wechsler Individual Scale-IV (WISC-IV) to ascertain IQ. Additionally, medical background records were used to determine if individuals were breastfed, bottle fed, or both. Data entry is ongoing, and at the time of this poster presentation, approximately 100 individuals will have the required data.
Results: One-way Analysis of Variance will be used to assess the potential impact of breastfeeding versus bottle feeding versus both methods of feeding on IQ scores and symptom severity. We predict that ASD severity level will be lower in individuals who were breastfed during infancy. In addition, we hypothesize that IQ levels will be higher in those who were breastfed during infancy.
Conclusions: Previous research shows that little has been done with the autism population compared to the typically developing population around factors that could serve a protective function to later development. Given the strong correlations between better outcome in those without autism and breastfeeding, it is anticipated that this could be an area of good impact. Thus, recommending breastfeeding to all expectant mothers could possibly increase the positive effects on their children’s health and quality of life.