31.1 Introduction: Infant, Child, and Adolescent Development
1085
learning disabilities, intellectual deficits, and seizures. The
incidence of infants born with fetal alcohol syndrome is about
0.5 per 1,000 live births.
Some studies suggest that alcohol use during pregnancy
may contribute to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD). Animal experiments have shown that alcohol reduces
the number of active dopamine neurons in the midbrain area,
and ADHD is associated with reduced dopaminergic activity
in the brain.
Smoking.
Smoking during pregnancy is associated with
both premature births and below-average infant birth weight.
Figure 31.1-3
Hypertelorism. Note the wide distance between the eyes, flat nasal bridge, and external strabismus. (Courtesy of Michael Malone, M.D.
Children’s Hospital, Washington, D.C.)
Figure 31.1-4
Photographs of children with “fetal-alcohol syndrome.”
A.
Severe case.
B.
Slightly affected child. Note in both children the short pal-
pebral fissures and hypoplasia of the maxilla. Usually, the defect includes other craniofacial abnormalities. Cardiovascular defects and
limb deformities are also common symptoms of the fetal alcohol syndrome. (From Langman J.
Medical Embryology
. 7
th
ed. Philadelphia:
Williams & Wilkins; 1995:108, with permission.)
