scholarly journals The value of the neuropsychological assessment for adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: A case study

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 79-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Sparrow ◽  
Therese Grant ◽  
Paul Connor ◽  
Nancy Whitney
Keyword(s):  
Neuropsychological Assessment ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Fetal Alcohol ◽  
Case Management Program ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum

Sparrow, J., Grant, T., Connor, P., & Whitney, N. (2013). The value of the neuropsychological assessment for adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: A case study. The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 2(3), 79-86. doi:10.7895/ijadr.v2i3.107 (http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v2i3.107)Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is an umbrella term that reflects the range of potential effects resulting from Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE). Individuals with FASD may demonstrate cognitive, functional and adaptive challenges that are as debilitating as those experienced by individuals with the full fetal alcohol syndrome. This case study describes a young mother with PAE who was enrolled in a three-year intensive case management program and who was suspected of having FASD. Authors describe the neuropsychological battery that was administered and how assessment results were used to help members of a multidisciplinary team reframe their thinking and respond to the client’s neuropsychological strengths and impairments by adjusting their language, expectations and interventions accordingly. Recognized as a valued member throughout the assessment and intervention process, the client learned to develop strategies that supported her autonomy and self-advocacy.

scholarly journals Language Development Disorder in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), a Case Study

Languages ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Yuri E. Vega-Rodríguez ◽  
Elena Garayzabal-Heinze ◽  
Esther Moraleda-Sepúlveda
Keyword(s):  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Fetal Alcohol ◽  
Foster Home ◽  
Language Development Disorder ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum

Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause developmental damage in children. There are different types and ranges of alterations that fall under the name of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Disabilities in learning, cognition, and behavior are observed. Environmental conditions are an influencing factor in this population since they are generally adverse and are either not diagnosed at an early stage or given the appropriate support and approach. We present a case study of a 9-year-old child, in which all the variables affecting his development (FASD diagnosis and socioenvironmental conditions) were observed and analyzed. His early childhood under institutional care, the move to a foster home at the age of 6, and several measures of evaluation from foster care to the present are described. Difficulties in vocabulary, access to vocabulary, morphology, syntax, grammar, oral narrative, pragmatics, speech, and communication were observed, along with cognitive difficulties in memory, perception and executive functioning, social adaptation, learning, and behavior. An early diagnosis and approach enable this population to develop skills in different dimensions to address early adversity despite their neurological and behavioral commitment. Speech-language pathologist services are crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of the language and communication difficulties that characterize this syndrome.

scholarly journals Screening in treatment programs for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders that could affect therapeutic progress

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 37-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Therese M Grant ◽  
Natalie Novick Brown ◽  
J. Christopher Graham ◽  
Nancy Whitney ◽  
Dan Dubovsky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Treatment Programs ◽  
Fetal Alcohol ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum

Grant, T., Novick Brown, N., Graham, J., Whitney, N., Dubovsky, D. , & Nelson, L. (2013). Screening in treatment programs for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders that could affect therapeutic progress. The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 2(3), 37-49. doi:10.7895/ijadr.v2i3.116 (http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v2i3.116)Aims: While structured intake interviews are the standard of care in substance abuse treatment programs, these interviews often do not screen for cognitive impairments, such as those found in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and other brain-based developmental disorders. The research reported here supports a brief interview protocol, the Life History Screen (LHS), that screens clients unobtrusively for adverse life-course outcomes typically found in FASD, so as to guide follow-up assessments and treatment planning.Design: Two-group observational study.Setting: A three-year case management intervention program in Washington State for high-risk women who abuse alcohol and/or drugs during pregnancy.Participants: Group 1: No prenatal alcohol exposure (N = 463); Group 2: Diagnosed with FASD (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder, fetal alcohol effects, or static encephalopathy) by a qualified physician (N = 25), or suspected of having FASD (reported prenatal alcohol exposure and displayed behaviors consistent with a clinical diagnosis of FASD) (N = 61).Measures: The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) was administered to participants at intake. We analyzed eleven ASI items that corresponded to questions on the LHS in order to assess the potential of the LHS for identifying adults with possible FASD. The Life History Screen itself was not administered.Findings: Analysis of group differences between the diagnosed FASD and suspected FASD groups supported our decision to collapse the two groups for the main analysis. The Life History Screen shows promise as an efficient pre-treatment screen, in that core items are significantly associated with FASD group membership on factors involving childhood history, maternal drinking, education, substance use, employment, and psychiatric symptomatology.Conclusions: The Life History Screen may have utility as a self-report measure that can be used at the outset of treatment to identify clients with cognitive impairments and learning disabilities due to prenatal alcohol exposure.

scholarly journals What Research Is Being Done on Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in the Russian Research Community?

2013 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svetlana Popova ◽  
Aleksandra Yaltonskaya ◽  
Vladimir Yaltonsky ◽  
Yaroslav Kolpakov ◽  
Ilya Abrosimov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Fetal Alcohol ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum ◽  
Russian Research

White matter abnormalities in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: Focus on axon growth and guidance

2021 ◽  
pp. 153537022098039
Author(s):  
Erin Mathews ◽  
Kevyn Dewees ◽  
Deborah Diaz ◽  
Carlita Favero
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Fetal Alcohol ◽  
White Matter Abnormalities ◽  
Guidance Cue ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) describe a range of deficits, affecting physical, mental, cognitive, and behavioral function, arising from prenatal alcohol exposure. FASD causes widespread white matter abnormalities, with significant alterations of tracts in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and hippocampus. These brain regions present with white-matter volume reductions, particularly at the midline. Neural pathways herein are guided primarily by three guidance cue families: Semaphorin/Neuropilin, Netrin/DCC, and Slit/Robo. These guidance cue/receptor pairs attract and repulse axons and ensure that they reach the proper target to make functional connections. In several cases, these signals cooperate with each other and/or additional molecular partners. Effects of alcohol on guidance cue mechanisms and their associated effectors include inhibition of growth cone response to repellant cues as well as changes in gene expression. Relevant to the corpus callosum, specifically, developmental alcohol exposure alters GABAergic and glutamatergic cell populations and glial cells that serve as guidepost cells for callosal axons. In many cases, deficits seen in FASD mirror aberrancies in guidance cue/receptor signaling. We present evidence for the need for further study on how prenatal alcohol exposure affects the formation of neural connections which may underlie disrupted functional connectivity in FASD.

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