Recent research continues to deepen our understanding of how prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) shapes child development, particularly in relation to the body’s stress regulation system. A 2025 longitudinal study by Plank and colleagues explored how both PAE and maternal depression during pregnancy affect cortisol levels (a marker of stress response) from childhood into adolescence. The researchers found that children exposed to alcohol in utero had lower hair cortisol concentrations in early school years, suggesting a blunted stress response, which normalized by adolescence. In contrast, maternal depression did not appear to significantly alter cortisol levels in offspring. These findings reinforce the long-term physiological imprint of prenatal alcohol exposure and its potential influence on emotional and behavioural development.
Reflection for FASD Instructional Coaches
This research highlights how prenatal alcohol exposure can leave a lasting imprint on the body’s stress regulation system, influencing how children and youth experience and express stress long after birth. For FASD Instructional Coaches, the significance lies in translating this evidence into professional learning for educators. Understanding that many behavioural and learning challenges stem from physiological adaptations, not choice or defiance, shifts the focus from “fixing behaviour” to creating supportive environments that reduce stress and promote regulation.
As coaches, your role is to build educators’ capacity to recognize these neurobiological differences and to respond with empathy, flexibility, and informed strategies. By framing PAE-related challenges through a developmental and brain-based lens, you help school staff move from reactive approaches to proactive, compassionate practice, where connection, predictability, and emotional safety become the foundation for learning.