Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Causing Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in your unborn child is considered to be
child abuse or neglect in some states.
What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?
Alcohol (wine, beer, or liquor) is the leading known preventable cause of
mental and physical birth defects in the United States.
When a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy, she risks giving birth to
a child who will pay the price — in mental and physical deficiencies — for
his or her entire life.
Yet many pregnant women do drink alcohol. It's estimated that each year
in the United States, 1 in every 750 infants is born with a pattern of
physical, developmental, and functional problems referred to as fetal
alcohol syndrome (FAS), while another 40,000 are born with fetal alcohol
effects (FAE).
Signs and Symptoms
If you adopted a child or consumed alcohol during pregnancy and are
concerned that your child may have FAS, watch for characteristics of the
syndrome, which include:
- low birth weight - small head circumference
- failure to thrive - developmental delay
- organ dysfunction - epilepsy
- poor coordination/fine motor skills - lack of imagination or curiosity
child abuse or neglect in some states.
What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?
Alcohol (wine, beer, or liquor) is the leading known preventable cause of
mental and physical birth defects in the United States.
When a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy, she risks giving birth to
a child who will pay the price — in mental and physical deficiencies — for
his or her entire life.
Yet many pregnant women do drink alcohol. It's estimated that each year
in the United States, 1 in every 750 infants is born with a pattern of
physical, developmental, and functional problems referred to as fetal
alcohol syndrome (FAS), while another 40,000 are born with fetal alcohol
effects (FAE).
Signs and Symptoms
If you adopted a child or consumed alcohol during pregnancy and are
concerned that your child may have FAS, watch for characteristics of the
syndrome, which include:
- low birth weight - small head circumference
- failure to thrive - developmental delay
- organ dysfunction - epilepsy
- poor coordination/fine motor skills - lack of imagination or curiosity
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- facial abnormalities, including: smaller eye openings, flattened cheekbones, and indistinct
philtrum (an underdeveloped groove between the nose and the upper lip)
- poor socialization skills, such as difficulty building and maintaining friendships and relating
to groups
- learning difficulties including: poor memory, inability to understand concepts such as time
and money, poor language comprehension, poor problem-solving skills
- behavioral problems including ; hyperactivity, inability to concentrate, social withdrawal,
stubbornness, impulsiveness, and anxiety.
Children with FAE display the same symptoms as children with FAS, but to a lesser degree.
Diagnosis and Long-Term Effects
Problems associated with FAS tend to intensify as children move into adulthood. These can
include mental health problems, troubles with the law, and the inability to live independently.
Children with FAE are frequently undiagnosed. This also applies to those with
alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), a recently recognized category of
prenatal damage that refers to children who exhibit only the behavioral and emotional
problems of FAS/FAE without any signs of developmental delay or physical growth
deficiencies.
Often, in children with FAE or ARND, the behavior can appear as mere belligerence or
stubbornness. They may score well on intelligence tests, but their behavioral deficits often
interfere with their ability to succeed. Extensive education and training for the parents,
health care professionals, and teachers who care for these children are essential.
philtrum (an underdeveloped groove between the nose and the upper lip)
- poor socialization skills, such as difficulty building and maintaining friendships and relating
to groups
- learning difficulties including: poor memory, inability to understand concepts such as time
and money, poor language comprehension, poor problem-solving skills
- behavioral problems including ; hyperactivity, inability to concentrate, social withdrawal,
stubbornness, impulsiveness, and anxiety.
Children with FAE display the same symptoms as children with FAS, but to a lesser degree.
Diagnosis and Long-Term Effects
Problems associated with FAS tend to intensify as children move into adulthood. These can
include mental health problems, troubles with the law, and the inability to live independently.
Children with FAE are frequently undiagnosed. This also applies to those with
alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), a recently recognized category of
prenatal damage that refers to children who exhibit only the behavioral and emotional
problems of FAS/FAE without any signs of developmental delay or physical growth
deficiencies.
Often, in children with FAE or ARND, the behavior can appear as mere belligerence or
stubbornness. They may score well on intelligence tests, but their behavioral deficits often
interfere with their ability to succeed. Extensive education and training for the parents,
health care professionals, and teachers who care for these children are essential.