Prenatal_Alcohol_and_Cocaine_Exposure__Influences_on_Cognition,_Speech,_Language,_and_Hearing

The effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol and cocaine are complex. Both alcohol and cocaine have serious effects on a fetus. The alcohol consumed by a fetus’s mother travels through the placenta into the baby’s blood stream almost instantly, while the cocaine and its metabolites cross the placenta to the fetus. Approximately 16 percent of pregnant women use alcohol and consume an average of about 24 drinks within a month, nearly four drinks per day for six days. In addition, exposure of cocaine results in cognitive disabilities at age 4. Prenatal alcohol exposure increases the risk of birth defects, including physical, cognitive, and behavioral disorders. By consuming alcohol and cocaine during pregnancy, prenatal development can result in the impairment of a child’s speech, language, hearing, and cognitive development. The after effects of alcohol consumption, known as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE), refer to the mental and physical growth problems that may occur in a baby during its prenatal development. Some of the features include facial dysmorphism, a very rare syndrome in which the child has loose joints, facial anomalies and a shawl scrotum. In addition to the facial dysmorphism, postnatal growth retardation, decrease of muscle tone and poor coordination, heart defects such as Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) or Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) are also features of this syndrome. Moreover, there are structural problems with the face including small head, upper jaw, narrow eyes with large epicanthal folds, and smooth groove in upper lip and thin upper lip. Prenatal alcohol exposure during fetal development can cause mental retardation. Those who have been exposed to alcohol have an IQ score of only 60-85 points. These children suffer from mental retardation, which include disabilities and difficulties in reading, writing, memorization, verbal memory and arithmetic skills. Also, it affects the auditory system which may slow down these children’s sense of hearing. This can lead to poor peer relationships and cause of social problems. Due to the effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which causes physical cognitive and behavioral disorders, it is no surprise that these children have a delay in language development. Prenatal Cocaine-Exposure (PCE) affects development within regions of the brain that regulates attention, arousal, and reaction to stress. Children exposed to cocaine during their prenatal development suffer from difficulties in alertness, attention, and intelligence. These children are more restless, have shorter attention spans, and are easily distracted. Children who are exposed to cocaine will have to work harder than unexposed children in order to focus their attention, remain alert, and process information. Cocaine exposure also affects the maternal cardio-vascular and autonomic systems, which may lead to strokes, seizures, and possibly brain malformation when they get older. In addition, children exposed to prenatal cocaine show more abnormal reflexes, less motor maturity, and poorer ability to regulate their state of attentiveness; they have a decrease motor development at age 2. Moreover, children affected by prenatal cocaine exposure have proven to have a hard time with their speech and language development. They have a deficit in verbal comprehension and low language abilities. The only way to help improve this condition is with physical therapy and by using simple motor movements. Without proper training and assistance, it is difficult for affected children to even control a pencil to draw or write their alphabets. It is up to the child’s family to help the child benefit from the environment that he/she is in. Prenatal alcohol exposure and prenatal cocaine exposure both cause damage to children’s cognitive development as well as speech, language and hearing. Children affected by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome suffer heavily from cognitive impairment, learning disabilities, and behavioral disorders. Since it can cause brain damage, the after affects my include delays in language ability, which result in mental retardation. It is harder for a child to learn and better itself if the environment that he/she is exposed to contains both parents being heavy drinkers. It will be a challenge for the child to grow and improve their intelligence. On the other hand, prenatal cocaine exposure results in long term impairment and result in difficulties of speech, hearing, and language. Moreover, children exposed to this kind of environment suffer from cognitive effects such as arithmetic, object assembling, and information. In order to better suit these children, the environment that they are in must have a higher education level.