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Discusses the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on child development. Hyperactivity and attention problems; Learning and memory deficits; Problems with social and emotional development.

Children exposed to moderate levels of alcohol during pregnancy show growth deficits and intellectual and behavioral problems similar to, although less severe than, those found in children with fetal alcohol syndrome. Research has begun to examine the extent to which these problems affect the child's ability to function on a day-to-day basis at school and with peers. Findings indicate that "moderate" drinking has much more impact on child development when the mother consumes several drinks in a single day than when she drinks the same quantity in doses of one to two drinks per day over several days. KEY WORDS: moderate AOD use; gestation; prenatal alcohol exposure; growth retardation; behavioral problem; neurodevelopmental anomaly; intelligence and ability; fetal alcohol syndrome; amount of AOD use; child; mother; literature review [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses prenatal alcohol-induced alterations in neurobehavioral outcomes and states that a threshold of alcohol consumption may be difficult to determine. Description of three dose-response relationships reported for drinking during pregnancy; Introduction of alternative approaches for determining threshold values.