Lecture 11 - FAS

Question 1

What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?

Answer 1

FAS - damage to an unborn baby due to the mother’s alcohol consumption during pregnancy

• A child who has FAS has problems similar to those of a child without FAS, but to a lesser degree????

Question 2

Studies show that 1-2 drinks a day during pregnancy show what?

Answer 2

low birthweight, growth abnormalities, behavioral problems in newborns

Question 3

When is embryo most susceptible to alcohol?

Answer 3

2-8 weeks after conception

Question 4

Paul & Norbury, 2012 - alcohol exposure

Answer 4

Children exposed in utero have “double jeopardy” (damage before birth and after due to drunk parent not responding appropriately, ignoring or abusing child

Question 5

result of Father’s drinking and smoking habits

Answer 5

data on nearly 15,000 newborns - increase child’s risk of birth defects ranging from cleft palate to hydrocephalus

• job chemicals can predispose a man’s baby to low birthweight and birth defects

Question 6

What is happening to baby in first trimester of pregnancy?

Answer 6

brain growth, organ and limb formation

Question 7

how does smoking and alcohol damage sperm?

Answer 7

Male smokers double their changes of fathering babies with problems like hydrocephalus

Recommend that men abstain from smoking, drinking for 5-6 months before child is conceived

Question 8

characteristics of children with FAS (17 things - physical and cognitive)

Answer 8

• small head - microcephaly
• Pre- and post- natal growth problems; low birth weight and length
• delayed motor development, mild-profound mental retardation, learning disabilities
• ADHD
• craniofacial - small eyes, strabismus, nystagmus
• malformation of major organs (esp heart)
• behavior problems, defiance
• swallowing problems
• learning and school problems, esp reading and writing
• speech problems - articulation, oral motor coordination
• poor pragmatics
• cognitive - memory and reasoning (if… then)
• language delays
• hearing issues
• auditory processing
• sleep disturbance
• eyes small and set wide apart

Question 9

Olswang, Svensson, & Astley (2011)

Answer 9

• examined social classroom skills of TD and FASD students
• 12 pairs of children observed for 20 minutes per day, 4 days, 2 weeks
• children with FASD not as prosocial (didn’t initiate with others)
• children with FASD have increased occurrences of passive/disengaged and irrelevant behavior than TD peers

• we need to help them become more engaged and social in classroom and help teachers be aware

Question 10

what estimated percentage of women use illicit drugs during pregnancy?

Answer 10

5.5% according to National Institute on Drug Abuse

Question 11

What drugs do the most serious damage to developing fetus?

Answer 11

cocaine, heroin, morphine, LSD

Question 12

approx how many babies have the potential to be born as drug exposed?

Answer 12

222,000

Question 13

what happens to the baby of a mother who uses cocaine?

Answer 13

• cocaine causes blood vessels to constrict, reducing flow of oxygen and other nutrients to baby
• alters action of baby neurotransmitters, negatively affecting behavior
• Babies may be born with congenital defects such as cleft palate

Question 14

Goldberg et al. (may 2010)

When a pregnant mother snorts, smokes, shoots, or orally ingests meth…

Answer 14

• Mother: problems with memory, judgement, emotions, sleep, appetite, aggression
• alters activity of neurotransmitters in brain, especially dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, epinephrine

Question 15

Goldberg (cont)

Problems for babies prenatally exposed to meth

Answer 15

• premature, small
• may have strokes and die
• hyperactive, but explore environments less
• at risk for difficulties with information processing, seizures, congenital anomalies
• frequently have anemia - problems with cognition, attention, hearing, behavior, vision
• dietician is important

Question 16

Goldberg - effective treatment of iron deficiency

Answer 16

• critical component in child’s development of self-regulation, which is foundational for development of learning and communication skills

Question 17

Behaviors and characteristics of drug-exposed children

Answer 17

• fewer spontaneous vocalizations from infancy
• lack of appropriate gestures and words to communicate needs
• poor visual tracking
• gross and fine motor problems
• decreased awareness of body in space
• emotional liability
• difficulty with transitions and changes
• decreased problem solving skills
• syntactic problems, disorganized
• word retrieval problems
• indiscriminate attachment to new people
• decreased responsiveness to praise, rewards
• decreased use of gestures and words to initiate social interactions
• poor eye contact
• articulatory-phonological disorders

Question 18

what do we do in assesment?

Answer 18

may be best to informally evaluate these children’s language skills in every day settings

• may not qualify for therapy in public schools

Question 19

Suggestions for intervention

Answer 19

• early is key (if intense and early enough, may have normal life)
• parents of cocaine-exposed children have increased insecurity, disorganization, avoidance of attachment - so look at environment, work with parents
• work on pragmatics - politeness, turn taking, appropriate expression of feelings

Question 20

To keep things structured and not overstimulating

Answer 20

children benefit from routine, structure so announce transitions, limit distractions, decrease outer stimuli

Question 21

To help them retain infomation….

Answer 21

• repeat things over and over
• use concrete hands on activities to teach concepts
• give directions slowly, one by one
• help them learn appropriate play skills, especially cooperative play
• give physical movement breaks; don’t expect them to sit still for long periods of time

Question 22

Language and behavior of children with HIV/AIDS

Answer 22

• HIV manifests in central nervous system
• children may have chronic ome
• delays in communication skills
• difficulty with memory and academics
• attention deficits
• difficulty with pragmatics

Question 23

Service delivery for babies with HIV/AIDS

Answer 23

• prolonged hospitalization - language stimulation is minimal
• we can provide early language stimulation programs with family

Question 24

Things we can specifically work on:

Answer 24

• oral language skills
• pre-literacy skills (phonological awareness, exposure to books)
• AAC devices
• later stages - eye-gaze communication