Oral and written communication skills of adolescents with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) compared with those with no/low PAE: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with growth deficits and neurodevelopmental impairment including foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Difficulties with oral and written communication skills are common among children with PAE; however, less is known about how communication skills of adolescents who have PAE compare with those who do not. Adolescence is a critical time for development, supporting the transition into adulthood, but it is considered a high-risk period for those with FASD. Aims:We conducted a systematic review to synthesize evidence regarding oral and written communication skills of adolescents with PAE or FASD and how they compare with those with no PAE. Methods & Procedures:A comprehensive search strategy used seven databases: Cochrane Library, Cinahl, Embase, Medline, PsycInfo, Eric and Web of Science. Included studies reported on at least one outcome related to oral and written communication for a PAE (or FASD) group as well as a no/low PAE group, both with age ranges of 10-24 years. Quality assessment was undertaken. Main Contribution: Communication skills most often assessed in the seven studies included in this review were semantic knowledge, semantic processing, and verbal learning and memory. These communication skills, in addition to reading and spelling, were commonly weaker among adolescents with PAE compared with those with no/low PAE. However, the findings were inconsistent across studies, and studies differed in their methodologies. Conclusions & Implications:Our results emphasize that for adolescents with PAE, communication skills in both oral and written modalities should be comprehensively understood in assessment and when planning interventions. A key limitation of the existing literature is that comparison groups often include some participants with a low level of PAE, and that PAE definitions used to allocate participants to groups differ across studies.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

Screening and identification of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in criminal legal settings: A realist review

“…sleep, face structure, hearing), developmental delays in early childhood and general health challenges. These indicators had significantly less evidence but were examined in adult and youth corrections as well as a programme for legally involved adults, through multiple methods, including record reviews (Russell et al., 2021), completion of tasks/checklists (Kippin et al., 2021), SRT ratings (Conry & Asante, 2010), and interviews (Kippin et al., 2018). Sleep disturbances were a common physical health challenge for youth with FASD (35.9%; Russell et al., 2021), as was a history of recurring ear infections for youth in detention (28.0%; Kippin et al., 2018).…”

“…In addition, Kippin et al. (2021) found that adolescents with PAE presented with features consistent with malocclusions at high rates (18.0%). Developmental delay was an item on the SRT that distinguished youth at risk and not at risk for FASD (Conry & Asante, 2010).…”

“…Sleep disturbances were a common physical health challenge for youth with FASD (35.9%; Russell et al, 2021), as was a history of recurring ear infections for youth in detention (28.0%; Kippin et al, 2018). In addition, Kippin et al (2021) found that adolescents with PAE presented with features consistent with malocclusions at high rates (18.0%). Developmental delay was an item on the SRT that distinguished youth at risk and not at risk for FASD (Conry & Asante, 2010).…”

Teaching Method: The Use of Engage, Study, and Activate (ESA) on Students’ Vocabulary Mastery

“…Receptive vocabulary refers to the words an individual can assign meanings to while listening or reading. (Kippin et al, 2021). Productive vocabulary is the set of words that a person can use when writing or speaking (Morente et al, 2022).…”

The effect of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on the onset of speech disorders and communication problems in children and adolescents

“…As a result, it is unclear how the grammatical skills of adolescents with PAE compare to those of those without PAE or with low PAE, and what the implications are for their communication skills. [11] The issue is still not fully explored.…”