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The teratogenic effects of drinking during pregnancy on cognitive development were investigated in a cohort of disadvantaged mother-infant pairs. Three indices associated with maternal alcohol use were related to comprehensive cognitive measures obtained during five in-home assessments through age four years, ten months. Birth weight and a tally of craniofacial anomalies were also evaluated as early indicators of fetal alcohol damage. Multiple analyses relating the alcohol and cognitive measures provided no evidence of an adverse alcohol effect on cognitive development in the absence of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Assessments based on confidence intervals indicated that an average decrement of more than two points (IQ equivalent) on the five cognitive measures is unlikely for relatively heavy levels of maternal alcohol use or alcohol-related problems. Marginal relationships were observed between cognitive measures and the neonatal indicators, but depended heavily on the influence of a child exhibiting signs consistent with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. This case therefore received special attention. The implications of the relationships involving the neonatal indicators were investigated using arguments based on path analysis.

The relationship between breastfeeding and cognitive development in the first 2 years of life was examined in a cohort of children being followed in a study of risk factors in development. A significant difference between bottlefed children, children breastfed less than or equal to 4 months and those breastfed greater than 4 months was found on the Mental Development Index of the Bayley Scales at ages 1 and 2 years, favoring the breastfed children. At age 6 months, the direction of the relationship was the same but did not reach significance. Supplementary regression analyses examining the strength of the relationship between duration of breastfeeding and cognitive development similarly showed a small but significant relationship between duration of breastfeeding and scores on the Bayley at 1 and 2 years. Alternative explanations for the results are discussed.