In summary, this study compared the rates of three externalizing disorders within and between those with prenatal alcohol exposure and children of alcoholics and found that rates of ADHD were significantly higher in those with prenatal alcohol exposure compared to children of alcoholics, despite the fact that participants with any prenatal alcohol exposure were included in the PAE group. Furthermore, the rates of ADHD were higher in individuals whose mothers drank while pregnant compared to individuals with an AD mother, but there were no differences in rates between individuals with an AD mother compared to those with an AD father. These results provide compelling evidence of increased risk of ADHD in those with PAE above and beyond potential alcohol dependence in the mother. Taken together with the growing literature demonstrating specific differences between those with PAE compared to those with ADHD without exposure, and the lack of response of PAE individuals to typical pharmaceutical treatment to ADHD, this could imply that these traits in individuals prenatally exposed to alcohol are not a constellation of ADHD criteria in the traditional sense but rather arise from a unique etiology most likely due to direct alcohol exposure during prenatal development.
