Neurobehavioural Profiles of Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

JESSICA O’BRIEN, BA. SARAH N. MATTSON, PhD 
Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, USA
(Published online February 9, 2011)

Conclusions
Prenatal exposure to alcohol affects nearly 1 in every 100 children and leads to a
spectrum of neurobehavioural consequences, including decreased overall intelligence and
specific deficits in learning, memory, language, visual-spatial skills, executive
functioning and attention. Children with FASD display deficits in daily living skills and
are at a higher risk for problem behaviours. These abnormalities have been documented
in children both with and without the facial dysmorphology required for a diagnosis of
FAS. Few studies exist comparing children with FASD to children with similar
neurobehavioural features. The extant research suggests that while there is some overlap
in the profile of non-alcohol-exposed children with ADHD or low IQ, children with
FASD have specific deficits in problem behaviours, adaptive skills and some
neuropsychological domains. More....