Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is the “umbrella term used to describe the range of possible effects associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy. (Payne, 2012) The most widely known of these disorders is Fetal Alcohol syndrome (FAS) is defined as a pattern of physical, mental, and behavioral problems in the baby that are thought to be due to alcohol abuse by the mother during pregnancy. (ACOG) There are many resources to help in the awareness and possible prevention of fetal alcohol syndrome, including N.O.F.A.S. ; The National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the only international non-profit committed solely to FASD prevention, advocacy, and support. This organization was founded in 1990 and is the leading voice and resource of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders community. (N.O.F.A.S.) According to the article on Fetal alcohol syndrome on the webpage Kidshealth.org “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.” Many pregnant women still choose to drink alcohol and there is an estimated 1 in every 750 infants born in the United States are born with a case of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome whether it is a pattern of physical, developmental, and or functional problems, while another 40000 are born with fetal alcohol effects (FAE).” (Numours)
There are many signs and different level of severites of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Some of the more common signs and symptoms of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome include; low birth weight, small head circumference, failure to thrive, developmental delay, organ dysfunction, facial abnormalities, epilepsy, poor coordination/fine motor skills, poor socialization skills, such as difficulty building and maintaining friendships and relating to groups, lack of imagination or curiosity, learning difficulties, and behavioral problems. Anyone suffering from Fetal Alcohol Effect may have some of these symptoms listed above but on a less severe degree. A child suffering from the affect of alcohol during growth and development who suffers from facial abnormalities may include; smaller eye openings, flattened cheekbones, and or an underdeveloped groove between the nose and upper lip. Learning disabilities may include including poor memory, inability to understand concepts such as time and money, poor language comprehension, poor problem-solving skills. While behavior problems of a child/person suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome include; hyperactivity, inability to concentrate, social withdrawal, stubbornness, impulsiveness, and anxiety.
The most severe problems that may be caused by fetal alcohol syndrome can include physical deformities, mental retardation, learning disorders, vision difficulties and behavioral problems.
Some features present in someone suffering with the effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in ones central nervous system include; “agenesis and hypoplasia of the corpus callosum, cavum septi pellucidi, cavum vergae, ventriculomegaly, hypoplasia of inferior olivary eminences, small brain stem, and micrencephaly.” (NCBI) Whereas the physical deformaties of someone suffering from the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome can include; atypical physiognomy, “smooth philtrum — The divot or groove between the nose and upper lip flattens with increased prenatal alcohol exposure, Thin vermilion — The upper lip thins with increased prenatal alcohol exposure, Small palpebral fissures — Eye width decreases with increased prenatal alcohol exposure” to the more severe frontonasal dysplasia also known as a cleft lip. (NCBI), (Numours). There are some other conditions that can commonly occur along with fetal alcohol syndrome, these are considered Alcohol related birth defects and not considered fetal alcohol syndrome. These include Cardiac problems/conditions like a heart murmur that almost always disappears by one year of age; most commonly it is a Ventricular septal