Ager, 1990). A more recent study also found no association between low levels of alcohol exposure and parent reports of language delay at age 2 years (O'Leary, Zubrick, Taylor, Dixon, & Bower, 2009). A possible explanation for these discrepancies may be due to varying levels of alcohol exposure. Many of these prospective studies included samples of children who were exposed predominantly to low levels of alcohol; it may be that language deficits are more common in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure. It may also be that language deficits are secondary to overall intellectual deficits (McGee, Bjorkquist, Riley, & Mattson, 2009) but further study is needed to clarify this relationship.
