Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can impair eye contact skills in children, primarily through its role in causing Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), a condition linked to neurodevelopmental impairments including social and cognitive deficits. FASD arises from prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), which disrupts brain development and can affect behaviors such as eye contact, an essential component of social communication.
Eye contact skills are part of early social and cognitive development, relying on intact neurological pathways in the brain regions responsible for visual processing, attention, and social interaction. Prenatal alcohol exposure interferes with these brain areas, leading to difficulties in maintaining eye contact and other social cues. Research shows that children with FASD often exhibit impaired social skills, including reduced or atypical eye contact, which can resemble symptoms seen in other neurodevelopmental disorders like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) [4].
The mechanism behind this impairment involves alcohol’s toxic effects on the developing fetal brain. Alcohol crosses the placenta and disrupts neuronal growth, migration, and synapse formation, particularly in regions such as the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and basal ganglia, which are critical for social cognition and memory. This disruption can result in smaller head circumference and altered brain structure, which correlate with poorer verbal intelligence and social functioning, including eye contact [1].
Moreover, prenatal alcohol exposure can affect attentional processes and memory functions that support social engagement. For example, studies on prenatal iron deficiency—which can be exacerbated by alcohol use—show impaired recognition memory and attentional allocation to faces and voices, which are foundational for eye contact development [2]. Although iron deficiency is a separate condition, it illustrates how prenatal nutritional and toxic exposures can compound neurodevelopmental deficits.
The role of paternal alcohol consumption during the partner’s pregnancy also appears to influence child development, though to a lesser extent than maternal drinking. Fathers’ heavy drinking correlates with smaller head size and lower verbal IQ in children, suggesting that paternal alcohol use may contribute indirectly to neurodevelopmental outcomes, potentially affecting social behaviors like eye contact [1].
Interventions for pregnant individuals with substance use disorders, including alcohol, emphasize integrated, stigma-free care to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. Such approaches aim to reduce prenatal alcohol exposure and its associated neurodevelopmental impairments, including those affecting eye contact and social skills [3].
In summary, prenatal alcohol exposure impairs eye contact skills by disrupting brain development critical for social cognition. This impairment is a hallmark of FASD, which encompasses a range of neurodevelopmental challenges caused by alcohol’s teratogenic effects during pregnancy.
—
Sources:
[1] Medical Brief, “Fathers’ role in foetal alcohol spectrum disorder – global study,” 2025.
[2] Frontiers in Nutrition, “Effects of prenatal iron deficiency on neurological development and …,” 2025.
[3] Oregon Health & Science University, “Study: Team-based care helps pregnant people with substance use …,” 2025.
[4] Wheel, “Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Ireland: ‘Mothers are blamed …’,” 2025.
[5] Drugs and Alcohol Ireland, “Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in Ireland,” 2025.
