By: Lindsey Tanner, AP

CHICAGO - 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.

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.

"The study says there are also social and behavioral consequences which look like autism," Fleischman said. And he said it underscores a need for early autism screening among youngsters born very prematurely.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends autism screening for all children by age 2. Autism can't be cured but early behavior therapy can help lessen its severity.

Experts believe autism results from a combination of genes and outside influences. Some advocates believe those factors include childhood vaccines, but scientific studies have not shown that.

Previous research on autism and prematurity has generally looked back at groups of older children to see whether prematurity was more common among those already diagnosed with autism, and results have been inconsistent, said Craig Newschaffer, an autism researcher at Drexel University's School of Public Health.

Limperopoulos said her study design was more rigorous.

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