Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can result in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), an umbrella term for a range of impairments, including learning difficulties, executive dysfunction, impaired speech, motor problems and behavioural issues [1]. It is now well accepted that heavy and chronic PAE affects brain development [2, 3] and there is evidence from current recent systematic reviews and meta analyses for detrimental associations between moderate PAE and child behaviour, binge drinking and cognition [4] and between heavy PAE and gross motor function [5]. Another recent study suggests that binge drinking, especially early in pregnancy, is correlated with hyperactivity and/or inattention [6]. However, the evidence for neurodevelopmental harms from low and infrequent alcohol use during pregnancy remain equivocal [7–12]. Consequently, Australian and international policies recommend that it is safest for women to completely refrain from drinking alcohol in the periconceptional period and throughout pregnancy [13, 14].
