Clinical Takeaway
Children exposed to cannabis during the peripregnancy period showed associations with behavioral and developmental differences in offspring, with effects varying based on whether ASD symptoms were present. These findings suggest that cannabis use from preconception through delivery may not carry uniform risk across all children, but the data do not establish causation. Pregnant individuals and those planning pregnancy should be counseled to avoid cannabis use given the potential for harm to fetal neurodevelopment.
#30 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.
Citation: DiGuiseppi Carolyn et al.. 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.. Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research. 2025. PMID: 39660543.
Design: 0 Journal: 0 N: 4 Recency: 2 Pop: 3 Human: 1 Risk: 0
Abstract: 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.
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