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Alcoholism and Fetal Development

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Alcoholism and Fetal Development
Alcoholism and Fetal Development
Infant and Toddler Development

Children that are born with Fetal alcohol syndrome are born to the mothers that are alcoholics and continue to drink every day while pregnant. If alcohol is consumed everyday in large amounts it will have an effect on the unborn fetus. These effects can be from physical and mental issues before and after birth. The effects can continue to develop when the child becomes older. Mental problems are one of the most common affects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Some of the physical and mental problem that may be present if a child is born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome include but are not limited to Growth deficiency, undersized head, Deformities and Abnormalities in facial features, the joint in the hands and feet and learning problems.
The first article that has been chosen to review is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention Research written by J.R Hankin in 2002. According to Hankin (2002) “Drinking during pregnancy which can result in serious birth defects, remains a significant public health problem despite a variety of prevention efforts that have been implemented in recent years” (p.58). This article describes an approach which was called “Protecting the Next Pregnancy Project.” This project targeted women who had drunk very heavily in their previous pregnancy. Women that were asked to be part of this trail were women that drank at least four drinks per week at the time that they became pregnant. Four weeks after the women gave birth they were put into groups that received standard clinical care. The first group was an experimental group that only received a brief intervention. The second group was the control group that had many sessions and was followed up to a five year period.
This study involved 300 women that were to be followed up to five years. The method that was used was a cognitive behavioral approach. This approach included five



References: Hankin, J. R. (2002). Fetal alcohol syndrome prevention research. Alcohol Research and Health, 26(1), 58-65. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/2223885 38?accountid=8289 Wedding, D., Kohout, J., Mengel, M. B., Ohlemiller, M., Ulione, M., Cook, K., Braddock, S. (2007). Psychologists ' knowledge and attitudes about fetal alcohol syndrome, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and alcohol use during pregnancy. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38(2), 208-213. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.38.2.208

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