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Risks Factors to Proper Infant Development
The first years of life are a time of rapid growth and change. Each child has unique characteristics that contribute to how he or she experiences the world and interacts with others. Research in infant mental health is still emerging, but to date has been able to identify a range of risk factors associated with developing a mental disorder or experiencing problems in social-emotional development. There are specific biological as well as environmental risks in early childhood that can be predictors of later issues. These include prenatal exposure to alcohol, illegal drugs, and tobacco; low birth weight; difficult temperament or an inherited predisposition to a mental disorder; external risk factors such as poverty, deprivation, abuse and neglect; unsatisfactory relationships; parental mental health disorder; or exposure to traumatic events (Office of the Surgeon General, 1997). Maternal use of alcohol during pregnancy has been linked to a wide range of developmental issues varying in complexity including deficits in attention, memory, language and mathematical skills, and specific learning disabilities (Autti-Ramo, 2000). Fetal alcohol syndrome is a set of characteristics that occur in only some children exposed to alcohol in-utero.
The features of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) include:
Pre- and or postnatal growth retardation
Central nervous system dysfunction
At least two of the following cranio-facial features: microcephaly, short palpebral fissures, hypoplastic philtrum, thin upper lip, and or hypoplastic maxillary area (Autti-Ramo, 2000). An infant’s emotional regulations and parent-child interactions are also affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol. These infants show high levels of irritability, insecure attachment and poor mother-infant interactions (Lowe, et. al., 2006).
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Contributor's Note
This is part of a series on Infant Mental Health.
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