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Memory strategy development in children with foetal alcohol spectrum disorders
Carmen Rasmussen1, Jacqueline Pei, Shazeen Manji
1University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Developmental Neurorehabilitation
|October 22, 2009
Summary
Children with foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) show a delayed transition from visual to verbal memory strategies compared to typically developing children. This transition is linked to executive functioning skills in children with FASD.
Area of Science:
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Cognitive psychology
- Child psychology
Background:
- Foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a group of conditions that can occur in a person who was exposed to alcohol before birth.
- Children with FASD often exhibit cognitive deficits, including challenges with memory and executive functioning.
- Understanding memory strategy development in FASD is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental transition of memory strategies from visual to verbal in children with FASD compared to non-FASD peers.
- To explore the relationship between this memory strategy transition, executive functioning, and vocabulary skills in children with FASD.
Main Methods:
- A picture memory task was administered to assess memory strategies.
- Participants included younger (5-6 years) and older (8-10 years) children with and without FASD.
- Executive functioning and vocabulary skills were also assessed.
Main Results:
- Children without FASD demonstrated better performance than those with FASD across both age groups.
- While non-FASD children predominantly used verbal strategies, children with FASD showed a developmental shift from visual to verbal strategies with age.
- The transition to verbal strategies in the FASD group was positively correlated with executive functioning abilities.
Conclusions:
- Children with FASD exhibit a delayed or altered developmental trajectory in memory strategy use compared to their non-FASD peers.
- Executive functioning plays a significant role in the development of verbal memory strategies in children with FASD.
- Findings inform potential classroom strategies and targeted memory training for children with FASD.
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