Applying a Developmental Framework to the Self‐Regulatory Difficulties of Young Children with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: A Review

Abstract

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can be associated with significant difficulties in self-regulatory abilities. As such, interventions have been developed that focus on improving varying aspects of self-regulation for this population. The application of a multilevel theoretical framework that describes the development of self-regulation during early childhood could further advance the field. First, this framework could assist in elucidating mechanisms in the trajectories of early adjustment problems in this population and, second, informing the development of more precise assessment and interventions for those affected by PAE. The aims of the current review were to provide an overview of the self-regulatory framework proposed by Calkins and colleagues (e.g., Calkins, 2007; Calkins and Fox, 2002); examine the self-regulatory difficulties that are commonly experienced during infancy (i.e., 0 to 2 years) and early childhood (i.e., 3 to 8 years) in children with PAE in the context of the developmental framework; and describe how the framework can inform the development of future assessment and intervention provision for young children with PAE. The application of a developmental framework, such as proposed by Calkins and colleagues, allows for a systematic and theoretically driven approach to assessment and intervention programs for young children with PAE.

Concerns and Strengths: Caregiver Perceptions of Their Infant/Toddler with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

“…Atypical sensory processing behaviors and internalizing problems were commonly described by caregivers in this study and, likewise, have been reported in the literature among infants/toddlers with PAE [ 15 , 55 , 56 , 57 ]. Concerns related to selfregulation, such as difficulty soothing or sleep complaints, were also consistent with selfregulatory difficulties seen in this population [ 58 ].…”

Factors to be considered as part of a holistic assessment for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A scoping review

“…The wide range of mental health challenges documented in the current scoping review (i.e., including suicidal ideation and attempts) supports a more generalized conceptualization of self-regulation impairments than the current Australian Guide. Requiring individuals to meet strict diagnostic criteria for anxiety and depression is likely to limit understanding of the self-regulatory challenges experienced by individuals with FASD (Reid & Petrenko, 2018). Several external and personal factors were identified to be associated with mental health challenges for individuals with FASD.…”

“My Brain Can Stop”: An ERP Study of Longitudinal Prediction of Inhibitory Control in Adolescence

“…In a broader sense, deficits in self-regulatory skills in childhood and adolescence, including inhibitory control, are associated with a wide range of negative outcomes during development [50,51,[93][94][95], for example, in poor social, emotional, and cognitive coping [94], poorer physical health and personal finances [93], externalizing problems, substance dependency, and delinquency [50,51,93]. An inhibitory control deficit also appears in other neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorders and fetal alcohol syndrome, and predicts impairments in executive functioning that may persist throughout development [96][97][98]. Our findings strengthened the results of these previous studies by providing support at the brain activity level, showing that lower levels of early childhood effortful control, especially attentional focusing, could remain persistent throughout development and later be expressed as dysfunctions in the neural mechanism of inhibitory control in adolescence.…”