1043-3155 Pediatr Neurol Briefs pedneurbriefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs Pediatric Neurology Briefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs 2166-6482 1043-3155 2166-3155 Pediatric Neurology Briefs Publishers Chicago, IL, USA PNB-2-59-b 10.15844/pedneurbriefs-2-8-5 Toxic Disorders Neurology Pediatrics Nervous System Diseases Child Development Brain Diseases Neurosurgery Child Infant Fetal Alcohol Syndrome http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0173-7931 Millichap J. Gordon MD 1 2 * Division of Neurology, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL Correspondence: Dr. J. Gordon Millichap, E-mail: jgmillichap@northwestern.edu 08 1988 01 08 2016 2 8 59 60 Copyright: © 1988 The Author(s) 1988 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Hearing disorders in children with fetal alcohol syndrome: findings from case reports

Hearing and speech and language development in 14 children with fetal alcohol syndrome were evaluated at the Fetal Alcohol Research Center, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, and the Audiology Division, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado.

 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Hearing Disorders Learning Disabilities

Hearing and speech and language development in 14 children with fetal alcohol syndrome were evaluated at the Fetal Alcohol Research Center, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, and the Audiology Division, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado. Recurrent serous otitis media with hearing loss and speech and language problems occurred in 13, and 4 also had sensorineural hearing loss. The IQ was 70-85 in 7 children and below 69 in 7. The authors conclude that hearing disorders are a significant complication of fetal alcohol exposure, probably contributing to the speech and language and learning disabilities commonly associated with the syndrome. [1]

COMMENT. As a cause of mental retardation, fetal alcohol syndrome is as prevalent as Down's syndrome and occurs in at least one in 1000 births. Postmortem examination of the brain reveals extensive developmental defects, mostly the consequence of migration anomalies. Heterotopias, lissencephaly, and agenesis of the corpus callosum have been described. Migration anomalies may involve the brain stem as well as the cerebrum, thus accounting for the sensorineural deafness noted in the above study.

 Church MW Gerkin KP Hearing disorders in children with fetal alcohol syndrome: findings from case reports Pediatrics 1988 Aug 82 2 147 154 3399287