The Effects Of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure On Children

The Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure On average, one in thirteen pregnant women have admitted to consuming one or more alcoholic beverage in their previous thirty days of pregnancy (â€Å"Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders†). Though one drink may seem miniscule in the scope of an eight to nine month pregnancy, any amount of alcohol exposure can be detrimental to a developing child, leading to life-changing disorders such as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Fetal alcohol syndrome, a severe potential consequence of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, starts when a pregnant woman drinks an alcoholic beverage according to Mayo Clinic (â€Å"Fetal Alcohol Syndrome†). Alcohol enters the bloodstream and then can travel throughout the body. Alcohol†¦show more content†¦Children with fetal alcohol syndrome often suffer from attention issues, specifically sustained and focused attention. Sustained attention is the mind’s ability to stay focused and alert over an extended period of time (Jacobson and Jacobson). This ability can be assessed by a child’s performance in timed vigilance tests and Continuous Performance tests, which test response time to visual stimuli such as letters, numbers, or pictures (Jacobson and Jacobson). According to Joseph and Sandra Jacobson, in these tests, children affected by FAS showed slowed reaction time, and deficits were obvious when children were tasked to continuously process and retain information. Also, children without FAS but that were subject to prenatal alcohol exposure experienced similar issues. According to Streissguth, these children took longer to respond and were less aware than non-exposed children during a Continuous Performance Task (qtd. in Larkby). Furthermore, children prenatally exposed to alcohol also exhibit focused attention issues. Focused attention is the brain’s capability to remain concentrated despite distraction, which is hindered by prenatal alcohol exposure (Jacobs on and Jacobson). According to Cynthia Larkby, the amount of alcohol exposure corresponded with the focused attention deficit children exhibited. Also, children with fetal alcohol syndrome suffered from decreased focused attention, but the