Maternal Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy and Infant Social, Mental, and Motor Development

Abstract

Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy is a significant social problem associated with developmental difficulties in young children. Child developmental and behavioral characteristics were examined from the 9-month data point of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Studies—Birth Cohort, a prospective nationally representative study. Several findings indicate linear patterns between the amount of prenatal alcohol dosage and sensory regulation, mental, and motor development outcomes. Undesirable social engagement and child interaction were found to be statistically significant at the prenatal alcohol level of one to three drinks per week. Children exposed to four or more drinks per week showed statistically significant and clinically passive behavior on three sensory regulation variables.

Regulatory Behaviors and Stress Reactivity among Infants at High Risk for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: An Exploratory Study

“…Symptoms of poor behavioral regulation (e.g., irritability, negative affectivity, sleep difficulties) are common clinical concerns reported by caregivers of infants and young children with PAE or FASD (Olson, Jirikowic, Kartin, & Astley, 2007). Early regulatory difficulties among children with FASD or PAE also have been documented in developmental and sleep research (Brown, Olson, & Croninger, 2010;Chen, Olson, Picciano, Starr, & Owens, 2012;O'Connor, 2001;O'Connor, Kogan, & Findlay, 2002;Wengel, Hanlon-Dearman, & Fjeldsted, 2011).…”

Supporting individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: A summary of effective practices

“…This could be one factor that improves the services families receive from professionals . In order for this to occur, improvements are warranted in how children with FASD are diagnosed and assessed (Brown et al, 2010).…”

“…A thorough assessment will shed light on the neurocognitive and neurobehavioral development of the child , as well as identify any adaptive or sensory needs . This will help professionals understand the impact of the child's prenatal alcohol exposure on their learning and behavior, and equip them with the skills to provide services for children with FASD and their families (Brown et al, 2010). Since instruc-tional accommodations are more likely to be necessary as children increase with age (p ϭ.009), it is probable that complete assessments for children with FASD should occur routinely to guarantee that the information is current and relevant for the child's academic and/or behavioral plan .…”

“…The authors agree with the National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects that modifications are necessary in the diagnostic process for children with FASD . One change should occur at the policy level so that children with any diagnosis on the fetal alcohol spectrum can be eligible for services, if needed (Brown et al, 2010). Current diagnostic practices for FAS should be evaluated to determine if they could be adapted for the other FASD conditions, since there is "no definitive test for FASD" (Pei & Rinaldi, 2004, p.126).…”

“…It has been well documented that children with FASD have poor adaptive skills , sensory processing , sensory regulation (Brown, Olson, & Croninger, 2010;, daily living skills (Crocker, Vaurio, Riley, & Mattson, 2009), and vocational skills . In 2008, Edmunds and Crichton found that individuals with FASD struggle finding their place within society.…”