Skeletal Growth Dysregulation in Australian Male Infants and Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Autism boys may start small, then out-grow peers in head and height speed—track velocity, not just size.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Zhou et al. (2018) tracked 150 Australian boys with autism from birth to age three. They measured head size, height, and weight every few months. The team compared these boys to typically developing peers.
What they found
Boys with autism were smaller at birth. By age three, their heads and height grew faster than peers. Weight gain stayed the same in both groups.
The key point: watch growth speed, not just current size.
How this fits with other research
Fukumoto et al. (2008) first saw the head surge in babies under one year. C et al. now show the speed keeps going through toddlerhood.
Eussen et al. (2016) found no head-size difference before birth. The surge starts after birth, so prenatal scans won't catch it.
Esteban-Figuerola et al. (2021) looked at older kids and found preschool boys with autism are taller. The fast growth seen in toddlers continues.
Barnhill et al. (2017) and Capio et al. (2013) warn that boys with autism later show lower bone density. Fast early growth may trade off with bone strength.
Why it matters
Plot head size and height velocity on standard growth charts at every visit. A steep climb can flag autism risk and guide earlier screening. Share the chart with the child's pediatrician to plan bone-health checks and active play goals.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
UNLABELLED: Recent findings suggest that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are larger in size for head circumference (HC), height, and weight compared to typically developing (TD) children; however, little is known about their rate of growth, especially in height and weight. The current study aimed to: (a) confirm and extend upon previous findings of early generalized overgrowth in ASD; and (b) determine if there were any differences in the rate of growth between infants and toddlers with ASD compared to their TD peers. Measurements of HC, height, and weight were available for 135 boys with ASD and 74 TD boys, from birth through 3 years of age. Size and growth rate in HC, height, and weight were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model. Infants with ASD were significantly smaller in size at birth for HC, body length, and weight compared to TD infants (all P < 0.05); however, they grew at a significantly faster rate in HC and height in comparison to the TD children (P < 0.001); there was no significant difference between the groups in growth rate for weight (P > 0.05). The results confirmed that male infants and toddlers with ASD exhibit skeletal growth dysregulation early in life. Autism Res 2018, 11: 846-856. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Recent findings suggest that infants with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are smaller in size at birth compared to typically developing infants but grow larger than their peers during the first year. Little is known about their rate of growth, especially for height and weight. Our findings confirmed that infants with ASD are smaller in size at birth for head circumference (HC), height, and weight, but grow at a faster rate in HC and height than their peers from birth to 3 years.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2018 · doi:10.1002/aur.1952