One of the most widely used teratogenic substances is alcohol, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that 1 in 8 women drink alcohol while pregnant (2015). PAE leads to an array of adverse physical, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes, with Fetal Alcohol Spectrums Disorders (FASD) recognized as the leading preventable cause of developmental disability in the United States (CDC, 2017). Heavy alcohol exposure results in characteristic craniofacial and eye malformations, which are present alongside low birth weight and growth retardation and classified as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). PAE also alters neurobehavioral outcomes, with patients exhibiting memory (Mattson et al., 1999; Rasmussen and Bisanz, 2011; Rasmussen et al., 2010), executive functioning (Bertrand and Consortium, 2009; Connor et al., 2000), and social functioning deficits (Irner et al., 2012; Stevens et al., 2012), as well as increased impulsivity (Franklin et al., 2008) and risk of incarceration (Streissguth et al., 2004).
