“…The strongest evidence of this effect comes from animal PRENATAL MATERNAL STRESS AND CHILD MOTOR DEVELOPMENT [30] studies, which show that a range of prenatal stressors (e.g., restraint, bright lights, social isolation) cause persistent negative effects across a number of developmental areas in offspring, including neurodevelopment, motor development, stress reactivity, cognition, attention, fearful and anxious behaviour, and immune and metabolic functioning (Beijers, Buitelaar, & Weerth, 2014;Beydoun & Saftlas, 2008;Huizink, Mulder, & Buitelaar, 2004). Further, animal studies articulate the nuances in the relationship between prenatal maternal stress and offspring development, with effects dependent on the type of maternal stress, the timing of stress exposure during gestation, the sex of the offspring, and the area of development (Bellinger, Lubahn, & Lorton, 2008). Animal studies have also shown that effects on offspring can be long-lasting, and may even be passed on to subsequent generations (Beijers et al, 2014).…”