How Does Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Affect Speech?

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is a common disorder that is believed to affect a substantial portion of the population, however there are currently no exact statistics to confirm this.

In 2019 it was confirmed by the CDC that 1 in 9 pregnant people drank alcohol in a thirty day period.

But, this condition requires accurate self reporting, which can be difficult to obtain.

This disorder is a spectrum whose symptoms range from mild to severe.

They can also manifest very differently.

One child affected with this condition might have a learning disability while another might develop a stutter.

Thankfully you can rest assured that whatever symptoms your child may have due to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, pediatric speech therapy can help.

At District Speech and Language Therapy, we offer speech therapy in Washington DC to help address speech and/or language issues your child may be experiencing.

In this article, we’re going to be taking a closer look at fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, what it is, how is can affect your child’s communication skills, and what you can do to get them the help they need.

What Is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder?

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is the appropriate terminology that used to refer to fetal alcohol syndrome.

It is a condition that happens to a developing baby, called a fetus, when a pregnant person consumes alcohol during their pregnancy.

This condition is characterized by a number of symptoms often grouped together that can affect both their body and their development in many different ways.

For example, people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder can have changes to their facial features that are indicative of the condition like small eye openings, a low nasal bridge, a thin upper lip, and a smaller than average head.

You can also have alcohol related neurodevelopment disorder that results in impulsiveness, inattentiveness, and challenges with judgment.

These are just some of the symptoms you could have if you have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and these symptoms could range from being mild to severe.

Today, fetal alcohol syndrome refers to a baby at the most severe end of a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

This is a permanent condition for which there is currently no known cure.

The only way to prevent this condition is if no alcohol is consumed during pregnancy.

Speech Related Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Symptoms

Like we said before, there are many different ways your child can be affected if they have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Speech is just another facet of the spectrum of symptoms that can be affected in many different ways.

It’s important to note here that just because your child has communication challenges due to their disorder, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they have a low IQ or learning.

Rather, it can be that their brain needs more time to process information and interpret communication.

Now, let’s find out more about the different types of speech related fetal alcohol spectrum disorder symptoms.

1. Developmental Delays

Children who have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder are more likely to have delayed speech and language development.

Delayed speech and language development means that your child is not meeting their speech and language developmental milestones at the usual age.

Speech and language developmental milestones are important checkpoints in childhood development that indicate what speaking abilities they should have at a range of ages.

Even though we all know that children develop at their own pace, it’s still helpful to use these milestones as a general guide to development.

They are especially helpful to track if your child is falling behind, because this can indicate that they need some extra help to keep moving forward.

Not meeting developmental milestones can also be a symptom of an underlying cause, like fetal alcohol spectrum disorder or autism.

If you notice your child falling behind their speaking milestones, it’s worth having them evaluated by a speech therapist to determine how they can help.

2. Expressive And Receptive Language Disorders

Expressive and receptive language disorders is another speech challenge that can be caused by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Expressive and receptive language is what describes how we produce words and sentences.

So, a disorder here often looks like difficulty using words to communicate.

During the preschool age, these challenges can manifest as difficulty learning words or forming sentences.

It can also result in difficulty:

• Asking questions
• Using gestures
• Naming objects
• Learning songs or rhymes
• Keeping conversations going
• Forming cohesive sentences

The good news is that speech therapy for expressive and receptive disorders can help your child improve their communication, even if they have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

3. Articulation Disorders

Articulation disorders are a type of speech sound disorder.

They affect your child’s ability to produce some of the sounds required to pronounce words.

For example, your child might struggle making particular sounds like th, z, or v when they speak.

They may also have challenges with forming words as a result of being unable to make certain sounds, fluency, pronunciation, and voice quality.

There is a wide variety of conditions that can cause an articulation disorder.

It can be genetic, like a cleft lip, or the result of brain damage from cerebral palsy or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Speech therapy can help improve your child’s articulation by understanding and isolating the cause, then creating a tailored treatment plan for improvement.

4. Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities cover a very wide range of symptoms and causes.

Some examples of common challenges for children with a learning disability include:

• Memory
• Differentiating between words
• Sequencing
• Comprehension
• Word association

A 2008 paper by Coffin Et. Al. found that kids with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder had deficits in their ability to process information.

These deficits were similar to kids with dyslexia they examined as part of the study.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder can cause learning disabilities that require supplementing their education with speech therapy to ensure they have the tools to succeed going forward.

5. Stuttering

A 2013 study by Ganthous, Rossi, and Giacheti found that kids with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder were more likely to have issues related to speech fluency, including stuttering.

Stuttering, like fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, is also a spectrum that can range from mild to severe.

Your child might have a hard time starting a sentence, word, or phrase.

They might also get stuck on a sound within a word and repeat it, or the word itself.

It can even be odd pauses that affect the phrasing of the word, sentence, or syllable.

But, you guessed it.

Speech therapy can help.

How Can A Speech Therapist Help Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder?

No matter what symptom your child might have due to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, speech therapy can help.

This is because your speech therapist will understand the disorder and be prepared with strategies to help your child overcome their particular language challenge.

Your child’s speech therapist will first start with a comprehensive evaluation in order to understand where your child is currently at.

They will discover their strengths and weaknesses, then create a tailored treatment plan to help them reach their goals.

They will also provide take home exercises for you to do at home with your child to continue the therapy outside of sessions.

The goal is to help your child improve as quickly as possible to minimise the potential impact on their school and development.

Book Your Appointment With District Speech and Language Therapy Today

If you suspect your child might have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and is struggling to communicate, speech and language therapy can help.

Our experienced team of speech therapists can help your child improve and grow.

Book your appointment with our speech therapy clinic today, to find out how.