Review of literature and diagnostic tools for assessing psychomotor development in infants exposed to fetal alcohol exposure

FASD may occur in up to 2–5% of the population. The effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the development of the central nervous system (CNS) have been widely described, but usually only in school-age children. Early diagnosis and assessment of motor development can facilitate the development of effective intervention and support protocols, which can improve motor functioning and the overall development of these children . In the article, we look at the research methods and scales used to examine the motor development of infants exposed to prenatal alcohol exposure and critically analyze the usefulness of the diagnostic methods. The high predictive value of studies combining quantitative and qualitative assessment is increasingly emphasized. All publications assessing the psychomotor development of children exposed to prenatal alcohol exposure are based on studies using scales assessing child development only quantitatively. In the presented studies, the results are ambiguous. The discrepancy in results in selected publications may be due to the inaccuracy of the selected measurement tools.