Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: Effects on Child IQ and Learning Problems at Age 7 1/2 Years

Abstract

This longitudinal, prospective, population-based study examined the long-term effects of moderate prenatal alcohol exposure on 482 school aged children. Maternal reports of alcohol use obtained during pregnancy were significantly related to child IQ, achievement test scores, and classroom behaviors in second grade children, even after statistical adjustment for appropriate covariates. Consumption of two drinks per day or more on the average was related to a 7-point decrement in IQ in 7-year-old children even after statistically adjusting for appropriate covariates. Low paternal education and more children in the household were identified as environmental factors exacerbating the effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on child IQ. Learning problems were associated with the alcohol "BINGE" pattern of five or more drinks on at least one occasion. This study shows that alcohol use patterns within the social drinking range can have long lasting effects on IQ and learning problems in young school aged children. These patterns should not be interpreted as biologic thresholds. It should also be noted that these are group effects of prenatal alcohol exposure, not necessarily predictable in the individual child, and that for the most part these children were functioning within the normal range of intelligence.

Infant irritability: The impact of fetal alcohol exposure, maternal depressive symptoms, and low emotional support from the husband

“…There is a large body of evidence that has shown that children affected by the fetal alcohol syndrome exhibit externalizing behavior problems later in life (Mattson et al, 2001;Roebuck, Mattson, & Riley, 1999); however, evidence from prospective studies about the long-term effect of prenatal exposure to moderate levels of alcohol is rather sparse. Examples have been provided by Streissguth et al (1990) and Carmichael Olson, Sampson, Barr, Streissguth, and Bookstein (1992), who found increased impulsivity in classroom behaviors in school-age children, and O'Connor (2001), who found more depressive symptoms among 6-year-old girls exposed to moderate levels of alcohol. O'Connor and Kasari (2000) suggested possible mechanisms for increased mood symptoms endorsed by children with prenatal alcohol exposure, drawing on findings on structural brain changes: Prenatal alcohol exposure has been associated with structural damage to specific areas of the brain, including the basal ganglia (Roebuck, Mattson, & Riley, 1998), which are part of the fronto-subcortical network that plays an important role in behavioral and mood regulation (Lafer, Renshaw, & Sachs, 1997;Soares & Mann, 1997).…”

“…The rate of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders including the diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome and ARND was estimated at 0.9% (Sampson et al, 1997). Moderate levels of maternal drinking during pregnancy could not be reliably linked to morphological birth defects (i.e., facial malformations; Polygenis et al, 1998); however, there is evidence that even moderate levels of alcohol consumption may have an effect on cognitive development (Streissguth, Barr, & Sampson, 1990;Testa, Quigley, & Das Eiden, 2003) and infant irritability. Prenatally alcohol-exposed children were more irritable in the first weeks after birth (Coles & Platzmann, 1993) and had more sleeping problems during infancy (Scher et al, 1988).…”

The effect of low to moderate prenatal alcohol exposure and binge drinking episodes on draw-a-person at age 5 years.

“…While most research to date has focused on chronic alcohol consumption, there is growing evidence that the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of the mother is the major factor that determines the impact on the fetus (Goodlett, Horn, & Zhou, 2005;Maier, Miller, & West, 1999). Brain growth is particularly susceptible to high BACs (Kelly et al, 2012) and some human studies suggest that binge drinking during pregnancy may be associated with poor neurodevelopmental outcomes (Henderson, Kesmodel, & Gray, 2007;Streissguth, Barr, & Sampson, 1990). While few pregnant women drink alcohol on a daily basis, many women report isolated episodes of binge drinking (five or more drinks on a single occasion), particularly before pregnancy is recognized (Kesmodel, Kesmodel, Larsen, & Secher, 2003;Kesmodel, 2001).…”

Exploratory study of the effectiveness of a professional development program on the academic achievement and classroom behavior of students with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in British Columbia, Canada

“…FASD is estimated to have a prevalence rate The quality of the relationships; the fit between environments, people and resources; and the cognitive, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental skills of children influence children's behavior over time (Pianta & Walsh, 1996). Students with FASD may experience one or more cognitive challenges, including slower information processing speed , learning and memory difficulties (Kaemingk & Halverson, 2000;Mattson & Roebuck, 2002), and attention (Streissguth, Barr, Sampson, & Bookstein, 1994) and working memory deficits (Streissguth, Barr, & Sampson, 1990). There is no typical profile associated with FASD (Burden, Jacobson, Sokol, & Jacobson, 2005;Kable & Coles, 2004;McGee, Fryer, Bjorkquist, Mattson, & Riley, 2008).…”