Children included in the AE group were recruited retrospectively and had known histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure, defined as maternal consumption of more than 4 alcoholic drinks at least once per week or 14 drinks per week throughout the pregnancy. Prenatal exposure to alcohol was confirmed through medical history, birth records, social services records, and maternal report and questionnaires, when available. FAS diagnoses were determined via a comprehensive clinical exam by a member of the CIFASD Dysmorphology Core, using a standardized assessment of physical, craniofacial, and growth anomalies. For the purposes of this research project, children in the AE group were categorized as having FAS if they met the following criteria: structural abnormality (i.e., two or more of the following facial features: short palpebral fissure length, smooth philtrum, thin vermillion border) and either growth deficiency (height or weight ≤ 10%) or microcephaly (occipital-frontal circumference ≤ 10%). Details of the CIFASD Dysmorphology Core diagnostic criteria have been published elsewhere (Mattson et al., 2010a, Jones et al., 2010, Jones et al., 2006).
