Agnihotri, S., Subramaniapillai, S., Keightley, M., Rasmussen, C., Cameron, D., Ryan, J., & Rovet, J. (2018). Everyday memory difficulties in children and adolescents with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 22(7), 462-469. Web.
The study offered beneficial insights concerning memory issues affecting youth with FASD in their daily functional challenges and the importance of future intervention research. It evaluated the existence of daily memory among FASD youth while controlling comorbidities such as socioeconomic status, other teratogens, and attention disorder. It was noted that the group has poor everyday memory in all domains. Children born by mothers who used to drink excess alcohol tend to have trouble remembering and learning new things. The umbilical cord passes alcohol from the mother to the baby causing damage to the developing brain. It became clear that these children suffer problems such as weak memory, trouble with attention, poor coordination, judgment, reasoning skills, and learning disabilities.
Baeza-Velasco, C., Sinibaldi, L., & Castori, M. (2018). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, joint hypermobility-related disorders and pain: Expanding body-mind connections to the developmental age. ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders, 10(3), 163-175. Web.
Traditionally, generalized joint hypermobility (JH) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been managed, assessed, and considered as varying conditions, and even treated by different specialists. However, the study revealed an unexpected association between the two conditions and improved awareness of the devastating impact of protean on development and health. Emphasis was on the syndromic presentations of GJH and musculoskeletal pain more so on the hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
Different factors were considered when establishing the link between the two conditions including chronic pain, fatigue, dysautonomia, impaired proprioception, and coordination. The findings indicated psychopathological and pathological pathways linking the two conditions, explaining the dyadic nature noted in the postnatal development concerning mind-body connections.
Furtado, E., & Roriz, S. (2016). Inattention and impulsivity associated with prenatal alcohol exposure in a prospective cohort study with 11-years-old Brazilian children. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 25(12), 1327-1335. Web.
The study evaluated the neuropsychological and alcohol exposure parameter as well as the link to inattention and impulsivity. It involved a case-control cohort study with 28 mothers and children exposed to alcohol and another similar group of non-exposed people, and it was followed for 11 years. Comparable factors between the two groups included global IQ, sex, maternal, age, and social work. However, there was a significant statistical variation in the total errors, higher speed processing, and the extent of omission errors in the conducted d2 Test. Moreover, the RCFT test indicated poor scores on recall and copy explaining that children exposed to alcohol before birth are usually more impulsive and inattentive. They have poorer executive processing, visuospatial working memory, as well as verbal fluency skills.
Gill, K., & Thompson-Hodgetts, S. (2018). Self-regulation in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A concept analysis. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 11(3), 329-345. Web.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) influences the development of intellectual disabilities and its self-regulation is usually interpreted and defined poorly in diverse ways. This makes it difficult to understand the condition and make effective clinical decisions. Poor definitions hinder the provision of the right treatment and management of the condition. The study used the Walker and Avant methodology to define FASD to support the intervention of the affected people, improve self-regulation assessment and support informed clinical decisions. Attributes that define self-regulation are inhibition, deliberate actions, attentiveness, emotional regulation, and collected & calm behaviors. The study provided a unique operational definition that is appropriate and specific for this population.
Keenan, T., Evans, S., & Crowley, K. (2016). An introduction to child development (3rd ed.). Sage.
Child development entails a sequence of emotional, thought, physical, and language changes that take place from infancy through to adolescence and the beginning of adulthood. The child advances from depending on their guardians or parents as they become more independent. The development process is influenced by many factors such as learning capacity, environmental facts, and genetic factors. It includes emotional regulation and social interaction, sensory awareness, cognition, and speech and language. Theories of Cognitive Development explain changes that take place as the child advance from one stage to the other. The cognitive process enables the child to gain better attention, memory, metacognition, and improved ability to solve problems. They learn better communication skills and use of language to express themselves.
Kesmodel, U., Nygaard, S., Mortensen, E., Bertrand, J., Denny, C., Glidewell, A., & Astley Hemingway, S. (2019). Are low‐to‐moderate average alcohol consumption and isolated episodes of binge drinking in early pregnancy associated with facial features related to fetal alcohol syndrome in 5‐year‐old children?Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 43(6), 1199-1212. Web.
People with high prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) usually develop Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). However, inaccurate exposure histories have been noted in the clinical diagnostic settings. The study applied the Lifestyle During Pregnancy Study (LDPS) to enhance the assessment of the potential effect of binge drinking and low-to-moderate consumption during the early stages of pregnancy. It involved a follow-up of 670 children and their mothers to determine the extent of diagnostic facial features. Findings of the study indicated that isolated binge exposures and low-to-moderate PAE levels tend to increase the risk for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome; Pregnancy / Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders among some fetuses. Based on the provided facts, it is advisable for pregnant mothers and women intending to conceive to avoid drinking alcohol.
Libertus, K., & Hauf, P. (2017). Editorial: Motor skills and their foundational role for perceptual, social, and cognitive development. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. Web.
Dynamic exchanges and interactions with the social and physical environment facilitate the learning process. Motor development improves the ability of children to learn and understand their surroundings. Strong motor skills influence positive development outcomes and it is important to promote the interaction between the mother and child. They also play a role in the improvement of sensory and perceptual skills since they promote the ability of the child to interact confidently. Motor experiences improve infants’ preferences for both faces and objects and promote social development. However, the relationship between motor skills and factors such as perceptual, cognitive, and social development remains unclear. It is also unknown whether third-party factors particularly the mother’s health determines the motor experiences.
Mamluk, L., Jones, T., Ijaz, S., Edwards, H., Savović, J., Leach, V., Moore, T. H. M., von Hinke, S., Lewis, S. J., Donovan, J. L., Lawlor, D. A., Smith, G. D., Fraser, A., & Zuccolo, L. (2020). Evidence of detrimental effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on offspring birthweight and neurodevelopment from a systematic review of quasi-experimental studies. International Journal of Epidemiology, 49(6), 1972-1995. Web.
Estimates from systematic reviews cover conventional observational studies implying that they are prone to biases. The study involved a comprehensive systematic review of both alternative analytical approaches and experimental human data to promote causal inference. The research findings revealed that prenatal alcohol exposure causes a detrimental impact on key areas such as low birth weight and cognitive outcomes.
It was noted that the effects of low levels of alcohol exposure are limited because of the associated biases linked to ethical obstacles and traditional observational methods. Alternative study designs including natural experiments and MR improves the understanding of the negative effects. The negative implication indicates that pregnant mothers should abstain from alcohol to promote the health of their babies.
Mattson, S., Bernes, G., & Doyle, L. (2019). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: A review of the neurobehavioral deficits associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 43(6), 1046-1062. Web.
Alcohol exposure tends to affect fetal brain development causing devastating neurobehavioral outcomes referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Prenatal alcohol exposure causes devastating behavioral and cognitive outcomes including concurrent psychopathology, learning and memory, language development, general intelligence, and academic performance. Moreover, the affected children are likely to have problem behaviors and lack important daily living skills. The neuropsychological profile has proven effective in supporting the diagnosis process and enhancing success rates. Identifying resiliency factors and risks is necessary for enhancing the development of appropriate preventive measures.
McLaughlin, S., Thorne, J., Jirikowic, T., Waddington, T., Lee, A., & Astley Hemingway, S. (2019). Listening difficulties in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: More than a problem of audibility. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62(5), 1532-1548. Web.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) affect the ability of children to listen and pay attention to details since they show auditory behaviors such as poor response to spoken stimuli. The condition causes auditory dysfunction which influences impaired processing of audible sounds and loss of audibility required to support sound-in-noise listening. The study concluded that exposure to alcohol during pregnancy increases the chances of hearing loss and listening difficulties. Hearing loss in FASD should be investigated further to understand it better and support the establishment of effective corrective measures.
O’Connor, M., Quattlebaum, J., Castañeda, M., & Dipple, K. (2016). Alcohol intervention for adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: Project step up, a treatment development study. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 40(8), 1744-1751. Web.
Alcohol consumption among adolescents with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is associated with many negative implications. A project step-up has been proposed to lower alcohol-related negative outcomes among FASD adolescent patients. The treatment development study has been successful in the management of issues affecting adolescent individuals with the condition. It has facilitated the elimination of the involved negative implication while improving their quality of life. Notably, the method seems to be more effective among heavy drinkers and less significant among infrequent/abstinent groups.
O’Neil, E. (2018). Developmental timeline of alcohol-induced birth defects. The Embryo Project Encyclopedia. Web.
Consumption of alcohol during pregnancy is associated with embryonic development abnormalities depending on the exposure frequency, severity, and duration. Alcohol-related defects also depend on the timing, metabolism, as well as, maternal genetics. Birth defects start affecting the embryo in the third week of fertilization when the cranial neural crest is damaged. In the third week, the damage that occurs to the cellular pool reduces white matter in the brain and causes morphological abnormalities. The damage continues during the division of the brain into vesicles usually in the 6th and 7th weeks. More damage is caused in the 8th week during the start of the fetal stage.
Singh, N., McCann, H., Weber, M., Gonzalez, S., & Alzate, M. (2018). Adolescent screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment for substance use: An application for school social workers. Children & Schools, 40(4), 249-252. Web.
The use of substances such as marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol presents a detrimental impact on the health of adolescent people. They affect their well-being and health in many ways particularly because they affect their ability to make decisions and the appropriate judgment. School social workers (SSW) have the necessary skills and knowledge to conduct interventions and assessments with both families and adolescents to promote academic performance and functioning. Moreover, standards for supporting adolescents enhance the referral to treatment, identification, substance abuse prevention, and brief intervention. Screening can help determine adolescents with problems related to the use of substances to offer the necessary support.
Richards, T., Bertrand, J., Newburg-Rinn, S., McCann, H., Morehouse, E., & Ingoldsby, E. (2020). Children prenatally exposed to alcohol and other drugs: What the literature tells us about child welfare information sources, policies, and practices to identify and care for children. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 1-24. Web.
Most of the parents engaging with child welfare systems on issues of substance use imply that their children are at risk of increased exposure to drugs before birth. Welfare agencies play a critical role in the provision and identification of services to address the negative effect of prenatal exposures. Children who are considered exposed entails child protection agencies and the practice is likely to influence the under-identification of children who were exposed to alcohol before being born.
The group is exposed to the risk of devastating child welfare outcomes since every child has specific needs. Further research is required to understand the role of the child welfare system in the caring and identification of issues affecting prenatally exposed children. More literature is required to facilitate the identification and support of children exposed to alcohol during pregnancy.
Tsang, T., Lucas, B., Carmichael Olson, H., Pinto, R., & Elliott, E. (2016). Prenatal alcohol exposure, FASD, and child behavior: A meta-analysis. Pediatrics, 137(3), e20152542. Web.
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) influence behavioral difficulties including problems paying attention, temper tantrums as well as hyperactivity. The affected children face challenges concentrating, making decisions, interacting with others, and recalling past events. Behaviors depend on the extent and duration of exposure to alcohol and genetics. Binge drinkers affect their children more where brains are permanently damaged hindering their potential and ability to learn.
The study suggested that it is important for pregnant mothers to understand the dangers of drinking alcohol during pregnancy or before when planning to conceive. Mothers must make an effort to promote the quality of life of their babies by abstaining from alcohol and other substances that can cause detrimental impacts.