Persons with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) who are not mentally retarded often have difficulty qualifying for special educational and vocational services. In this pilot study, 16 nonretarded young adults with FAS were divided into two groups--one with average to above-average IQ and one with borderline to low-average IQ. Participants in both groups manifested clear deficits on neuropsychological measures sensitive to complex attention, verbal learning, and executive function. The frequency and severity of cognitive impairment demonstrated in both FAS groups were greater than what would have been predicted on the basis of IQ alone. The implications of these findings for identification and management of cognitive impairment in individuals with FAS are discussed.

No abstract

In comparison to explicit learning, implicit learning is hypothesized to be a phylogenetically older form of learning that is important in early developmental processes (e.g., natural language acquisition, socialization)and relatively impervious to individual differences in age and IQ. We examined implicit learning in a group of children and adults (9.49 years of age)with Williams syndrome (WS)and in a comparison group of typically developing individuals matched for chronological age. Participants were tested in an artificial-grammar learning paradigm and in a rotor-pursuit task. For both groups, implicit learning was largely independent of age. Both groups showed evidence of implicit learning but the comparison group outperformed the WS group on both tasks. Performance advantages for the comparison group were no longer significant when group differences in working memory or nonverbal intelligence were held constant.

In comparison to explicit learning, implicit learning is hypothesized to be a phylogenetically older form of learning that is important in early developmental processes (e.g., natural language acquisition, socialization)and relatively impervious to individual differences in age and IQ. We examined implicit learning in a group of children and adults (9.49 years of age)with Williams syndrome (WS)and in a comparison group of typically developing individuals matched for chronological age. Participants were tested in an artificial-grammar learning paradigm and in a rotor-pursuit task. For both groups, implicit learning was largely independent of age. Both groups showed evidence of implicit learning but the comparison group outperformed the WS group on both tasks. Performance advantages for the comparison group were no longer significant when group differences in working memory or nonverbal intelligence were held constant.

No abstract