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Thank you for the informative article by Antoniadis, Gilbert, and Wagner on environmental contributors to disability in children (The ASHA Leader, Sept. 26, 2006; Neurotoxicants: Environmental Contributors to Disability in Children). In their article they rightly note that "identifying affected children and getting them the services they need is, of course, important. However, there is a parallel need for prevention of exposures that lead to or exacerbate these disabilities (p. 7)."
An important exposure that is not discussed in the article is prenatal exposure to ethyl alcohol, the leading preventable cause of developmental disabilities and mental retardation [Abel & Sokol, 1987. Incidence of fetal alcohol syndrome and economic impact of FAS-related anomalies, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 19 (1), 51-70]. Prenatal alcohol exposure is frequently associated with difficulties of social interaction and communication and is, therefore, of direct concern to the field of speech-language pathology. Prevention efforts aimed at reducing the negative developmental effects of dangerous environmental exposures must include efforts to reduce the incidence of prenatal alcohol exposure if they are to maximize effectiveness. Those interested in more information on the topic can visit these Web sites:
John C. Thorne
Truman Coggins
Seattle, WA
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