Born Addicted To Alcohol Essay Research Paper

Born Addicted To Alcohol Essay, Research Paper

There are different characteristics that accompany FAS in the

different stages of a child’s life. “At birth, infants with intrauterine

exposure to alcohol frequently have low birth rate; pre-term delivery; a

small head circumference; and the characteri stic facial features of the

eyes, nose, and mouth” (Phelps, 1995, p. 204). Some of the facial

abnormalities that are common of children with FAS are: microcephaly,

small eye openings, broad nasal bridge, flattened mid-faces, thin upper

lip, skin folds at

the corners of the eyes, indistinct groove on the upper lip, and an

abnormal smallness of the lower jaw (Wekselman, Spiering, Hetteberg,

Kenner, & Flandermeyer, 1995; Phelps, 1995). These infants also display

developmental delays, psychomotor retardatio n, and cognitive deficits.

As a child with FAS progresses into preschool physical, cognitive

and behavioral abnormalities are more noticeable. These children are not

the average weight and height compared to the children at the same age

level. Cognitive manifestations is another problem with children who have

FAS. “Studies have found that preschoolers with FAS generally score in

the mentally handicapped to dull normal range of intelligence” (Phelps,

1995, p. 205). Children with FAS usually h ave language delay problems

during their preschool years. Research has also shown that these children

exhibit poorly articulated language, delayed use of sentences or more

complex grammatical units, and inadequate comprehension (Phelps, 1995).

There are many behavioral characteristics that are common among children

with FAS. The most common characteristic is hyperactivity (Phelps, 1995).

“Hyperactivity is found in 85% of FAS-affected children regardless of IQ”

(Wekeselman et al., 1995, p. 299 ). School failure, behavior management

difficulties, and safety issues are some of the problems associated with

hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder. Another behavioral

abnormality of with children with FAS, is social problems. “Specific

diffic ulties included inability to respect personal boundaries,

inappropriately affectionate, demanding of attention, bragging, stubborn,

poor peer relations, and overly tactile in social interactions” (Phelps,

1995, p. 206). Children are sometimes not diagnosed with FAS until they

reach kindergarten and are in a real school setting. School-aged children

with FAS still have most of the same physical and mental problems that

were diagnosed when they were younger. The craniofa cial malformations is

one of the only physical characteristic that diminishes during late

childhood (Phelps, 1995).

“Several studies have evaluated specific areas of cognitive

dysfunction in school-age children exposed prenatally to alcohol.

Researchers have substantiated: (a) short term memory deficits in verbal

and visual material; (b) inadequate processing of inf ormation, reflected

b sparse integration of information and poor quality of responses; (c)

inflexible approaches to problem solving; and (d) difficulties in

mathematical computations” (Phelps, 1995 p. 206).

The behavioral manifestations of a child with FAS during the early

years of life are still apparent in children who are in grade school.

Hyperactivity is still the most common characteristic portrayed by these

children. Some of the descriptions used to

explain these school-aged children’s behaviors include: distractible,

impulsive, inattentive, uncooperative, poorly organized, and little

persistence toward task completion (Phelps, 1995).

As a child reaches puberty and develops into an adult, some of the

physical, mental and behavioral characteristics change. These adolescents

begin to gain weight, but still remain short and microphalic (Phelps,

1995).

Cognitive abilities of children with FAS continue to be low

through adolescence and adulthood. Low Academic performance scores of

adolescents and adults are persistent throughout their lives. Many

cognitive tests have been done on adolescent/adults wi th FAS, and each of

them have found deficiencies in mathematics and reading comprehension

(Shelton & Cook, 1993).

The behavioral manifestations of adolescents and adults with FAS

continue to concentrate around the problem of hyperactivity.

Inattentiveness, distractibility, restlessness , and agitation are the

main behaviors stem from hyperactivity. “Vineland Adap tive Behavior

Scales results suggest that communication and socialization skills average

around the seven year old range”(Phelps, 1995, p. 207).

The prevalence of children with FAS is on the rise. More than

ever, children are being diagnosed with FAS. Better techniques and

knowledge by physicians are accountable for the increase. Physicians are

diagnosing more babies today with FAS

Внимание, отключите Adblock

Вы посетили наш сайт со включенным блокировщиком рекламы!
Ссылка для скачивания станет доступной сразу после отключения Adblock!

Скачать