Case study: Saturday cognitive habilitation program for children with prenatal alcohol exposure.

Abstract

This case study describes the outcomes of a Saturday community intervention program for children suspected of or affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol who exhibited learning deficits. Five children participated in the program and received individualized interventions designed to address learning and academic deficits in either reading or mathematics. Often children affected by prenatal alcohol exposure exhibit deficits with executive processes, including metacognitive functioning, that interfere with learning. Instruction to improve metacognitive skills was incorporated into the intervention programs. The metacognitive training was adapted from the Math Interactive Learning Experience (MILE) and targeted the children's skills to plan, organize, shift, and evaluate problem solving strategies. Standardized tests of nonverbal reasoning and academic achievement were administered before and after the children received interventions to measure progress. The results indicated that four of the five children who participated in the program showed clinically significant gains with scores increasing from the borderline or low average to the average range on measures of nonverbal reasoning, reading comprehension, or mathematics reasoning. One child showed no gains on measures of nonverbal reasoning and reading. A variety of factors including age, cognitive profile, session attendance, and access to special education and other intervention services may have influenced the child's progress. Overall, the case reviews suggest that the interventions show promise to remediate learning problems of children affected by prenatal alcohol exposure in a community setting.

Interventions for improving executive functions in children with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD): A systematic review

“…Included in this section is discussion of a smaller subset of studies which met more than two inclusion criteria ( n = 34). A total of 31 studies explored improving outcomes in children with FASD but did not evaluate an intervention exclusively or clearly focused on improving EF (Chandrasena et al, 2009; Baker, 2013; Coles et al, 2009; Coriale et al, 2013; Cyr, 2011; Davis et al, 2011; De villiers, 2005; Dorrie et al, 2014; Fernández‐Jaén, 2011; Hollar, 2012; Kodituwakku, 2010; Koren et al, 2014; Kully‐Martens et al, 2012, 2013, 2018; Millians & Coles, 2014; Moore & Tolle, 2008; Mulvihill, 2008; Olson & Montague, 2011; Paley & O'Connor, 2009, 2011; Peadon & Elizabeth, 2010; Petrenko et al, 2017; Sabou et al, 2012; Senturias & Burns, 2014; Singal et al, 2018; Timler et al, 2005; Turner et al, 2015; Watson & Westby, 2003; Zarnegar et al, 2016; Zevenbergen & Ferraro, 2001).…”

“…The Math Interactive Learning Experience (MILE) Program: A program designed to improve mathematics ability in children through direct teaching of skill development in arithmetic (Coles et al, 2009; Kully‐Martens et al, 2013, 2018; Millians & Coles, 2014). …”

The Distribution of Available Prevention and Management Interventions for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (2007 to 2017): Implications for Collaborative Actions

“…Twelve community-based management interventions [99,100,101,102,103,104,105,106,107,108,109,110] aimed at managing the FASD were found. Two of the community-based management interventions studies discussed the use of a neurocognitive [104] and community translation [105] Math Interactive Learning Experience (MILE) program (Claire and Coles, Atlanta, Georgia, USA) to improve mathematics skills in children with FASD. Both interventions improved mathematics skills in children with FASD.…”