Publications by authors named "Jennifer Ames"

Prevalence of autism diagnosis has historically differed by demographic factors. Using data from 8224 participants drawn from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, we examined relationships between demographic factors and parent-reported autism-related traits as captured by the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS; T score > 65) and compared these to relations with parent-reported clinician diagnosis of ASD, in generalized linear mixed effects regression analyses. Results suggested lower odds of autism diagnosis, but not of SRS T > 65, for non-Hispanic Black children (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.

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Despite the prevalence and significant concern of COVID-19 in maternal and offspring health, little is known about the impact of COVID-19 during pregnancy on newborn immunity and neurodevelopment. This study aimed to examine 1) the relationship between maternal COVID-19 during pregnancy and newborn immune profiles and investigate the 2) associations between specific newborn immune profiles and the risk of subsequent diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) among children with prenatal exposure to COVID-19. Newborn dried bloodspots (NBS) from 545 children born at Kaiser Permanente Northern California between January 2020 and September 2021 (460 [223 males, 237 females] to COVID-19-infected [COVID+] mothers; 85 [45 males, 40 females] to COVID-19-uninfected [COVID-] mothers) were used to profile newborn immune molecules via a 42-plex cytokine/chemokine assay.

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Importance: An improved understanding of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence over time and across the lifespan can inform health care service delivery for the growing population of autistic children and adults.

Objective: To describe trends in the prevalence of ASD diagnoses using electronic records data from a large network of health systems in the US.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study examined annual diagnosis rates in health records of patients in US health systems from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2022.

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Introduction: Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are increasing in use as flame retardants and plasticizers and concerns have been raised given their endocrine-disrupting activities and possible obesogenic consequences. However, longitudinal studies on gestational OPE exposure and childhood obesity are scarce. This study examined whether OPE levels in maternal urine during pregnancy were associated with the risk of childhood obesity.

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Article Synopsis
  • Evidence shows that core autism traits are stable in older children but can vary during early childhood.
  • The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) measures these traits across different ages, and while preschool and school-age scores generally align, preschool scores tend to be lower.
  • A significant number of children show concordance between the two age groups, but those with younger siblings diagnosed with autism displayed more score discrepancies, indicating that early developmental variability might affect reliability of later autism assessments.
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Autism has been the subject of large-scale public health investment. These investments are increasingly shifting toward mitigating the lifelong disability and impairment associated with autism. Key efforts include bolstering screening schedules, accelerating the path to diagnosis and early entry into evidence-based therapies, and providing preventive management of common co-occurring conditions.

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Background: Widespread exposure to organophosphate ester (OPE) flame retardants with potential reproductive toxicity raises concern regarding the impacts of gestational exposure on birth outcomes. Previous studies of prenatal OPE exposure and birth outcomes had limited sample sizes, with inconclusive results.

Objectives: We conducted a collaborative analysis of associations between gestational OPE exposures and adverse birth outcomes and tested whether associations were modified by sex.

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Purpose: To understand the ways in which autistic Latinx children experience disparities in diagnosis, healthcare, and receipt of specialty services.

Methods: 417 individuals who identified as Latinx caregivers of autistic children who were members of the same integrated healthcare system in Northern California were surveyed. Responses were analyzed using the child's insurance coverage (Government or Commercial) and caregiver's primary language (Spanish or English).

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Background: Adults with developmental disabilities often have less access to reproductive health services than adults without these disabilities. However, little is known about how adolescents with developmental disabilities, including autism, access reproductive healthcare.

Objective: We aimed to characterize the use of reproductive healthcare services among adolescents with autism and those with other developmental disabilities in comparison with adolescents with typical development.

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Background: Maternal inflammation can result from immune dysregulation and metabolic perturbations during pregnancy. Whether conditions associated with inflammation during pregnancy increase the likelihood of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other neurodevelopmental disorders (DDs) is not well understood.

Methods: We conducted a case-control study among children born in California from 2011 to 2016 to investigate maternal immune-mediated and cardiometabolic conditions during pregnancy and risk of ASD ( = 311) and DDs ( = 1291) compared with children from the general population ( = 967).

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This study evaluated the association between prenatal depression and offspring autism-related traits. The sample comprised 33 prenatal/pediatric cohorts participating in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes program who contributed information on prenatal depression and autism-related traits. Autism-related traits were assessed continuously and at the diagnostic cut-off using the Social Responsiveness Scale for children up to 12 years of age.

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Autistic adults, as compared to non-autistic adults, have increased rates of nearly all medical and psychiatric conditions. Many of these conditions begin in childhood, although few longitudinal studies have been conducted to examine prevalence rates of these conditions from adolescence into early adulthood. In this study, we analyze the longitudinal trajectory of health conditions in autistic youth, compared to age and sex-matched non-autistic youth, transitioning from adolescence into early adulthood in a large integrated health care delivery system.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates immune dysregulation's role in neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly autism spectrum disorder (ASD), noting the lack of research on sex differences in this area.
  • It analyzes neonatal blood samples from children later diagnosed with ASD, delayed development (DD), and a general population control group to assess cytokine/chemokine levels.
  • Findings revealed that males had higher levels of the chemokine MIF in controls, but not in ASD or DD, while females consistently showed higher concentrations of several inflammatory chemokines across all groups.
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  • This study investigated the link between prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and autism-related traits in children using data from 1,429 participants across 10 cohorts in the NIH-funded ECHO program.
  • The analysis showed that most PFAS in maternal blood had no significant association with child autism traits, but higher levels of perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) were linked to increased autism-related traits.
  • The findings suggest a potential connection between PFNA levels during pregnancy and modest increases in autism traits, indicating the need for further research on various PFAS and their impacts on child development.
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Background: Racial/ethnic disparities in access to diagnostic services are pervasive for autistic children. However, a few studies have examined racial/ethnic health disparities among autistic adults, who commonly experience higher rates of health conditions than non-autistic adults. We aimed at examining the intersection of autism and race/ethnicity in association with psychiatric and medical diagnoses.

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This study evaluated whether COVID-19 pandemic-related health, healthcare and economic factors during pregnancy are associated with prenatal depression and anxiety. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 6,628 pregnant members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California who responded to a survey between 22 June and 30 September 2020. The survey included questions about depression (Patient Health Questionnaire) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) symptoms and COVID-19-related health and healthcare (e.

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Background: Increased stress has likely contributed to the observed high prevalence of depression and anxiety in pregnant individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of coping strategies for COVID-19 pandemic-related stress and associations of these coping strategies with depression and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy.

Methods: 8320 members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California who were pregnant between June 22, 2020 and May 10, 2021 completed an online survey including questions about coping strategies since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and current depression and anxiety symptoms.

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Background: This study aimed to identify racial and ethnic disparities in prenatal mental health and identify COVID-19 pandemic-related health/healthcare and economic contributors to these disparities, using an established framework for disparity investigation.

Methods: This cross-sectional study includes 10,930 pregnant people at Kaiser Permanente Northern California who completed an online survey between June 22, 2020 and April 28, 2021 on COVID-19 pandemic-related health/healthcare and economic stressors, depression, and anxiety. Self-reported race and ethnicity were extracted from electronic health records.

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Transitioning autistic youth from pediatric to adult healthcare requires coordination of multiple stakeholders, including youth, caregivers, and pediatric and adult care providers, whose interests at times overlap but often differ. To understand barriers and facilitators to inclusive transition experiences, we conducted thematic analysis of interviews with 39 stakeholders from the same large, integrated healthcare system. We identified three major themes: (1) Navigating the healthcare transition without guidance, (2) Health consequences of a passive healthcare transition, and (3) Strategies for inclusion and continuous engagement.

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Background: Research on COVID-19 during pregnancy has mainly focused on women hospitalized for COVID-19 or other reasons during their pregnancy. Little is known about COVID-19 in the general population of pregnant women.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of COVID-19, symptoms, consequent healthcare use, and possible sources of COVID-19 exposure among a population-based sample of pregnant women residing in Northern California.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study investigates how maternal psychiatric disorders and SSRI use during preconception and pregnancy may affect the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental delays (DDs), in children.
  • Using data from a case-control study of children born between 2003 and 2011, researchers found that mothers of children with ASD or DDs were more likely to have psychiatric conditions or use SSRIs during pregnancy compared to population controls.
  • The results suggested that maternal psychiatric conditions increase the risk of ASD and DDs, but SSRI use did not show a significant association with these disorders, even among mothers with psychiatric conditions.
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