• Posted February 12, 2026

COVID Vaccines During Pregnancy Not Linked To Autism

THURSDAY, Feb. 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy is not linked to any risk of autism or other brain development problems in children, a new study says.

Researchers found no ties between mRNA COVID vaccines and child developmental issues, according to findings presented Wednesday at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s annual pregnancy meeting in Las Vegas.

“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 Dr. George Saade said in a news release. He’s chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.

For the new study, researchers tracked 434 children for signs of autism or other developmental problems between 18 and 30 months of age.

Half of the children were born to mothers who’d received at least one dose of the mRNA COVID vaccine during or immediately prior to pregnancy. The rest were born to mothers who hadn’t gotten the vaccine during pregnancy or the month before.

Vaccinated and unvaccinated women were matched based on factors like where they gave birth, their delivery date, insurance status and race. Their kids’ brain development was tested when they were between 1.5 and 2.5 years of age.

“This study, conducted through a rigorous scientific process in an NIH clinical trials network, demonstrates reassuring findings regarding the long-term health of children whose mothers received COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy,” researcher Dr. Brenna Hughes said in a news release. She’s interim chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on COVID vaccination during pregnancy.

SOURCE: Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, news release, Feb. 11, 2026