A new study provides more evidence that receipt of a messenger RNA (mRNA) SARS-CoV-2 vaccine immediately before or during pregnancy does not raise the risk for autism or other neurodevelopmental problems in young children.

The multicenter prospective observational study of more than 400 mother-child pairs showed no significant difference in scores measuring developmental delays between children born to individuals who received prenatal vaccination and those who didn’t.

“Neurodevelopment outcomes in children born to mothers who received the COVID-19 vaccine during or shortly before pregnancy did not differ from those born to mothers who did not receive the vaccine,” senior researcher George R. Saade, MD, with Macon and Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, noted in a press release.

The findings were presented on February 11 at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) 2026 Annual Pregnancy Meeting.

Strong Study, Reassuring Findings

In a multicenter prospective observational study, researchers compared 217 children born to mothers who received at least one dose of an mRNA vaccine during pregnancy or within 30 days before pregnancy with 217 children whose mothers were not vaccinated during that time.

The children were evaluated using several standardized screening tools, including the Ages and Stages Questionnaire Version 3 (ASQ-3), the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, and the Child Behavior Checklist.

The study found equivalent ASQ-3 total scores (primary outcome) between exposed and unexposed children (median difference, -3.4 points; 95% CI, -9.7 to 3.0) — staying within the study’s preset equivalence margin, the researchers reported in their conference abstract.

There were also no significant differences in secondary measures of child behavior or developmental domains. The study is slated for publication in the February issue of Pregnancy.

In a statement, the Coalition of Autism Scientists said this study adds to the “voluminous and decades-long body of research demonstrating that vaccines are safe and do not increase risk for autism.”

David S. Mandell, ScD, member of the executive committee of the Coalition of Autism Scientists, told Medscape Medical News that there are “real strengths of this study, including the clear exposed vs unexposed group and the careful assessment of children, rather than relying on a diagnosis in the electronic health record, as so many similar studies do.”

Although the study cohort was smaller than those in previous analyses, “the tiny magnitude of the average difference between groups (3.4 points on a 60-point scale) increases confidence in the finding that mothers receiving the COVID vaccine during pregnancy has no effect on children’s development,” said Mandell, professor and director of the Penn Center for Mental Health at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

Vaccine Benefits Outweigh Risks

Also weighing in, Nancy Byatt, DO, MS, MBA, perinatal psychiatrist and professor at University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts, told Medscape Medical News that the findings are in line with existing evidence and vaccination guidelines during pregnancy.

“The vast majority of data that we have is consistent with COVID-19 vaccine being recommended in pregnancy and there do not appear to be major adverse risks associated with it,” said Byatt, who serves on the American Psychiatric Association Council on Women’s Mental Health.

A recent study found that female children born to mothers who had COVID in early pregnancy may have an increased chance of developing autism spectrum disorder, providing additional rationale to get vaccinated.

“COVID-19 infection during pregnancy has been associated with increased risk of severe disease, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and also maternal death,” Byatt said. This new study confirms that “the benefits of vaccination in pregnancy for COVID-19 far outweigh the risks of not being vaccinated.”

The research was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Disclosures for the study authors were not available. Mandell and Byatt reported having no relevant disclosures.