In the article Streissguth introduced fetal alcohol syndrome and reviewed literature relevant to the problem in order to explore effects of pregnant mothers’ alcohol consumption on their children’s development. Then she gave supportive evidence of the effects by revealing animal models of research. Next, she focused on delay or impaired functioning and disclosed mental handicaps as the most detrimental effect. Furthermore, the researcher revealed remediation interventions to deal with fetal alcohol syndrome and also reflected on effects of social drinking. In this way Streissguth established the key findings explaining harmful effects of mothers’ alcohol intake on their fetuses.
Fetal alcohol syndrome as a result of pregnant mothers drinking heavily causes physical and mental deficiencies. Streissguth claims that “in children of alcoholic mothers, the primary damage may occur in utero” (423). The harmful effect is associated with both a characteristic facies and retarded development observed after birth. The similar effects are found with babies raised in different environments because development of the effects begins in early pregnancy. Moreover, the author refers to some animal studies where experimental conditions are fully controlled. The studies establish credible results in terms of alcohol effect. In particular, different doses of alcohol can produce differentiated effects: from malformation and growth deficiencies to fetal death. Adequate nutrition does not mitigate harmful effects of alcohol consumption on a fetus, so even small doses of alcohol can lead to the fetal damage.
The most detrimental damage to a fetus is connected with mental handicaps. The researcher referred to the data which showed a 17% of perinatal mortality rate among alcoholic mothers’ offsprings. Such a group of mothers gave birth to the babies who exhibited fetal alcohol syndrome. In addition, seven years later the findings indicated low IQ scores among 44% of the survivors – even among those who did not show any physical deficiencies (Streissguth 425). Besides, examining effects of social drinking showed lower rates of birthweight and gestational age. The author related to cohorts in Boston and Seattle hospitals to prove children perform poorly enough due to maternal alcohol intake. Currently, the researcher is involved in a follow-up study of such children to examine their development throughout the past three years of the research. In her own investigation Streissguth studied psychological functioning of the children with fetal alcohol syndrome, which showed similar findings. Also, severe physical deficiencies produced higher mental handicaps, so the findings prove that brain damage in a prenatal period can be in evidence when a child matures.
The environment plays a crucial role in child rearing and even those with a low level of intellectual attainment can receive support in order to improve their conditions. For that, caring parents, specialized school settings can contribute to the development of children with fetal alcohol syndrome and enhance their functioning. Dramatic changes in their development are unlikely but remediation programs must take place. Furthermore, the evidence shows that prevention is the best way to avoid fetal alcohol syndrome. Informing pregnant mothers about the effects of any dose of alcohol can be useful.
Despite the clear findings of the studies the future research should be based on exploring other maternal risk factors besides alcohol consumption, which can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome: smoking and caffeine intake (Godel et al.). Additionally, it is important to pay attention to effective prevention programs which target women at risk; they must center on behavioral change which is likely to reduce the incidence of the syndrome (Murphy-Brennan and Oei).
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Works Cited
Godel, John C., et al. “Smoking and Caffeine and Alcohol Intake during Pregnancy in a Northern Population: Effect of Fetal Growth.”Canadian Medical Association Journal, vol. 147, no. 2, 1992, pp. 181-188.
Murphy-Brennan, Majella G., and Tian P. S. Oei. “Is There Evidence to Show that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Can Be Prevented?” Journal of Drug Education, vol. 29, no. 1, 1999, pp. 5-24.
Streissguth, Ann Pytlowicz. “Maternal Drinking and the Outcome of Pregnancy: Implications for Child Mental Health.” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, vol. 47, no. 3, 1977, pp. 422-431.
