Thesis (B.Sc)--University of Hong Kong, 2010.Includes bibliographical references (p. 26-28)."A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Science (Speech and Hearing Sciences), The University of Hong Kong, June 30, 2010."This paper was a retrospective survey investigating the association between prenatal stress and
risk of ASD in Chinese population. Twenty-eight mothers of children diagnosed with ASD, and
thirty-eight mothers of children with no diagnoses of neurodevelopmental diseases were
interviewed. The survey mainly investigated the incidence and intensity of prenatal stress, birth
conditions and developmental problems of children, maternal health conditions, and the
participants’ coping strategies towards prenatal stress. Higher overall intensity and higher
incidence of prenatal stress were found to be experienced by mothers of ASD children. The ASD
group also showed higher incidence of prematurity, birth complications, health problems, maternal
illnesses, advanced maternal age, and developmental problems. This proposed prenatal stress as a
possible risk factor of ASD and the other developmental problems associated with ASD.published_or_final_versionSpeech and Hearing SciencesBachelorBachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Science