scholarly journals Executive Functioning Correlates With Communication Ability in Youth With Histories of Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (10) ◽  
pp. 1026-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren R. Doyle ◽  
Eileen M. Moore ◽  
Claire D. Coles ◽  
Julie A. Kable ◽  
Elizabeth R. Sowell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Global Model ◽  
Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales ◽  
Communication Ability ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol

AbstractObjectives: Caregivers of youth with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure report impaired communication, which can significantly impact quality of life. Using data collected as part of the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD), we examined whether cognitive variables predict communication ability of youth with histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. Methods: Subjects (ages 10–16 years) comprised two groups: adolescents with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure (AE) and non-exposed controls (CON). Selected measures of executive function (NEPSY, Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System), working memory (CANTAB), and language were tested in the child, while parents completed communication ratings (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales – Second Edition). Separate multiple regression analyses determined which cognitive domains predicted communication ability. A final, global model of communication comprised the three cognitive models. Results: Spatial Working Memory and Inhibition significantly contributed to communication ability across groups. Twenty Questions performance related to communication ability in the CON group only while Word Generation performance related to communication ability in the AE group only. Effects remained significant in the global model, with the exception of Spatial Working Memory. Conclusions: Both groups displayed a relation between communication and Spatial Working Memory and Inhibition. Stronger communication ability related to stronger verbal fluency in the AE group and Twenty Questions performance in the CON group. These findings suggest that alcohol-exposed adolescents may rely more heavily on learned verbal storage or fluency for daily communication while non-exposed adolescents may rely more heavily on abstract thinking and verbal efficiency. Interventions aimed at aspects of executive function may be most effective at improving communication ability of these individuals. (JINS, 2018, 24, 1026–1037)

scholarly journals Altered functional connectivity during spatial working memory in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure

Alcohol ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 64 ◽  
pp. 11-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Alejandra Infante ◽  
Eileen M. Moore ◽  
Amanda Bischoff-Grethe ◽  
Susan F. Tapert ◽  
Sarah N. Mattson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol

scholarly journals BOLD Response During Spatial Working Memory in Youth With Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

2009 ◽  
Vol 33 (12) ◽  
pp. 2067-2076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea D. Spadoni ◽  
Alissa D. Bazinet ◽  
Susanna L. Fryer ◽  
Susan F. Tapert ◽  
Sarah N. Mattson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Bold Response ◽  
Prenatal Alcohol

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.

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