Relation between adaptive function and IQ among youth with histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure.

Although higher intellectual functioning was associated with better adaptive function ability among controls, this was not found among the alcohol-exposed youth where a general dampening of adaptive ability was noted. Further, the differential relationship between IQ and adaptive function between groups appears to be driven by communication abilities. These findings suggest that level of intellectual functioning of children with prenatal alcohol exposure does not fully account for caregiver-reported communication and overall adaptive function deficits particularly at higher levels of functioning.