OBJECTIVE: Describe the intellectual performance in a sample of children and adolescents that suffered prenatal exposure of alcohol. METHODS: This report constitutes a case series study, comprising 10 subjects between 6 and 16 years old, with a history of fetal alcohol exposure. These subjects underwent a medical evaluation to be characterized as a clinical sample, respecting the inclusion and exclusion criteria previously established. The sample's intellectual performance was studied by means of instruments: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children 3rd. Edition (WISC-III) and Raven's Progressive Matrices Test. RESULTS: The sample was evaluated as being of low medium performance by the WISC-III. In the Raven Test the sample exhibited medium intellectual performance. Among all of the WISC-III indexes, Resistance to Distractions was most impaired. The Arithmetic and Picture Arrangement subtests showed more impairment results in comparison of the others subtests. As a secondary consequence, the impairment of these functions can cause difficulties in learning and social interaction and impact the development of these young people. CONCLUSIONS: The results of these series of ten cases were compared to those reported in national and international studies. The cognitive impairment caused by alcohol use during pregnancy can manifest in school-age children through learning difficulties and difficulty in establishing social interactions. Thus, prenatal exposure to alcohol becomes a public health issue which needs greater attention from national policies to carry out identification and early intervention.
Intellectual performance; fetal alcohol syndrome; fetal alcohol spectrum disorders; neuropsychology; fetal alcohol exposure
