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-6-47 10.15844/pedneurbriefs-6-6-10 Toxic Disorders Neurology Pediatrics Nervous System Diseases Child Development Brain Diseases Neurosurgery Child Infant Alcohol and Mental Development 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 06 1992 01 07 2016 6 6 47 47 Copyright: © 1992 The Author(s) 1992 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. Mental development of 2-year-old children exposed to alcohol in utero

In a prospective follow-up study at the University of Helsinki, Finland, 60 children exposed to alcohol in utero were assessed by a psychologist (Bayley Mental scale) and a speech therapist (Reynell Verbal Comprehension scale) at a mean age of 27 months.

 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Mental Retardation First Trimester

In a prospective follow-up study at the University of Helsinki, Finland, 60 children exposed to alcohol in utero were assessed by a psychologist (Bayley Mental scale) and a speech therapist (Reynell Verbal Comprehension scale) at a mean age of 27 months. Forty-eight non-exposed children were also examined to set the -2 SD limit for subnormal performance. In children exposed to heavy drinking during the first trimester only, no definite effect on mental or language development was demonstrated. Children exposed throughout pregnancy scored significantly lower than those subjected to alcohol during the first trimester only. The diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome was made in 7 children, 1 exposed during the first and second trimesters, and 6 exposed throughout pregnancy. The lower limit for heavy drinking was more than 10 drinks a week, or more than 45 drinks per month. The drinking patterns of these mothers varied from 1 to 20 drinks per day. [1]

COMMENT. Fetal alcohol exposure causes a continuum of developmental defects ranging from mental retardation to slight developmental difficulties. The identification of mothers who are heavy drinkers in early pregnancy and effective counseling should help to preserve the developmental potential of the fetus.

 Autti-Ramo I Korkman M Hilakivi-Clarke L Lehtonen M Halmesmaki E Granstrom ML Mental development of 2-year-old children exposed to alcohol in utero J Pediatr 1992 May 120 5 740 746 10.1016/S0022-3476(05)80237-9 1374465