Toward a Neurobehavioral Profile of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Mattson, Sarah N.; Roesch, Scott C.; Fagerlund, Åse; Autti‐Rämö, Ilona; Jones, Kenneth Lyons; May, Philip A.; Adnams, Colleen M.; Konovalova, Valentina; Riley, Edward P.

doi:10.1111/j.1530-0277.2010.01250.x

Cited by 121 publications

(130 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…However, significant within-group variability was observed, underscoring the substantial heterogeneity observed in children and adolescents with FASD. At a profile level, children with FASD had particularly impaired performance in several areas relative to typically developing controls that are consistent with previous research, including mathematical skill, inhibitory function, sustained attention, and working memory (Astley 2010;Mattson et al 2013;Mattson et al 2010;Nash et al 2013). These domains may be especially critical in assessment and intervention planning for children and adolescents with FASD.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Unpacking the Heterogeneity of Cognitive Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Determining the Role of Moderators and Strengths

McLachlan

Paolozza

Kully-Martens

et al. 2017

Adv Neurodev Disord

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Children and adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) experience significant impairments in cognitive functioning, though substantial within-group heterogeneity is often observed. The purpose of this study was to characterize the cognitive profile of children and adolescents with FASD with a special focus on examining moderators of functioning and cognitive strengths. Children and adolescents with FASD (n = 87) and controls (n = 110), ages 5 to 18 years completed a cognitive test battery. MANOVAwas used to evaluate betweengroup cognitive differences, as well as the role of age and gender as potential moderators. Relative strengths were evaluated using both within-subject and between-group methods. Participants with FASD were found to show significant impairment on all cognitive tasks relative to controls, with substantial deficits evident on a measure of mathematical skill. Though neither age nor gender emerged as moderators, significant three-way interactions between age, gender, and group were evident on measures of executive functioning (inhibition), verbal memory, and word identification. Tasks measuring higherorder complex attention and visuospatial processing emerged as possible relative strengths in the FASD group. Children and adolescents with FASD had significant cognitive impairment across multiple domains confirming high need for interventions. Differences in the cognitive functioning for boys and girls with FASD at different developmental periods, along with relative strengths, may serve to inform interventions and future longitudinal research.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Unpacking the Heterogeneity of Cognitive Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Determining the Role of Moderators and Strengths

McLachlan

Paolozza

Kully-Martens

et al. 2017

Adv Neurodev Disord

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“…Evidence for specific deficits in visual/spatial perception [45] has been found, including deficits in visual memory [46], visual perceptual skills [47], visual-motor integration [46] and spatial memory [48]. Alterations associated with PAE in the microstructural characteristics of white matter have been further linked to deficits in visual-motor integration [49] and deficits in visual perception [50].…”

Section: Visuospatial Processingmentioning

confidence: 97%

Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (ND-PAE): Proposed DSM-5 Diagnosis

Kable

O’Connor

Olson

et al. 2015

Child Psychiatry Hum Dev

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107

101

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Over the past 40 years, a significant body of animal and human research has documented the teratogenic effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Neurobehavioral Disorder associated with PAE is proposed as a new clarifying term, intended to encompass the neurodevelopmental and mental health symptoms associated with PAE. Defining this disorder is a necessary step to adequately characterize these symptoms and allow clinical assessment not possible using existing physically-based diagnostic schemes. Without appropriate diagnostic guidelines, affected individuals are frequently misdiagnosed and treated inappropriately (often to their considerable detriment) by mental health, educational, and criminal justice systems. Three core areas of deficits identified from the available research, including neurocognitive, self-regulation, and adaptive functioning impairments, are discussed and information regarding associated features and disorders, prevalence, course, familial patterns, differential diagnosis, and treatment of the proposed disorder are also provided.

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“…4 Primary disabilities are congenital problems caused by the effect of teratogen on the developing brain and those that are normally observed in children with FASD are neuropsychological and behavioral impairments, 5 which may last for life. 6 Common neuropsychological impairments include reduced executive and cognitive functions 7 and impaired verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning 8 and behavioral deficits, such as rule breaking and aggressiveness. 9 Adolescents and adults with FASD also face secondary disabilities, such as problems at school, trouble with the law, 10 alcohol abuse, 11 and mental illness.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosocial Outcomes of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in Adulthood

Rangmar¹,

Hjern

Vinnerljung

et al. 2015

Pediatrics

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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Primary disabilities in children prenatally exposed to alcohol have a major impact on their daily life. It is suggested that these issues persist into adulthood, but few studies have addressed the outcome in adults with prenatal exposure, especially those with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). The aim of this follow-up study was to investigate outcome variables, such as education, employment, health, and criminal acts, in 79 adults diagnosed with FAS. METHODS:We carried out a national register-based study of 79 adults with an FAS diagnosis, at a mean age of 32. Education, social adjustment, and mental health outcomes were analyzed and compared with 3160 comparison individuals matched on age, gender, and place of birth. RESULTS:The FAS group was much more likely to have received special education (25% vs 2%), be unemployed (51% vs 15%), and receive a disability pension (31% vs 3%) than the comparisons, but the levels of criminal offenses were similar. The FAS group had higher hospital admission rates for alcohol abuse (9% vs 2%) and psychiatric disorders (33% vs 5%) and was more likely to be prescribed psychotropic drugs (57% vs 27%).CONCLUSIONS: Swedish children with FAS have quite diverse psychosocial outcomes in adulthood, considerably worse than for majority population peers. Potential risk and protective factors within the FAS group deserve study to enable development of effective interventions. WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT:Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause congenital neuropsychological and behavioral disabilities in later life. These usually lead to secondary disabilities (adverse outcome when the individual interacts with environmental settings), such as problems with school, the law, alcohol, or drugs. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:This was a 30-year psychosocial register-based follow-up on adults with fetal alcohol syndrome and state care comparison group. The FAS-group had lower education and higher rates of unemployment, social welfare, and mental health problems than peers. Rates of criminality did not differ.

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Toward a Neurobehavioral Profile of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Cited by 121 publications

References 45 publications

Unpacking the Heterogeneity of Cognitive Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Determining the Role of Moderators and Strengths

Unpacking the Heterogeneity of Cognitive Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Determining the Role of Moderators and Strengths

Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (ND-PAE): Proposed DSM-5 Diagnosis

Psychosocial Outcomes of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in Adulthood

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