Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is physical and mental damage in a child due to alcohol exposure while in the womb. Every year, 1 in 750 infants in the U.S. are born with fetal alcohol syndrome, which is the leading known preventable cause of birth defects in the U.S. Another 40,000 children are born with fetal alcohol effects. Some infants born with fetal alcohol syndrome have symptoms such as a low birth weight, small head circumference, and facial abnormalities (e.g. smaller eye openings, flattened cheekbones, etc.). Children born with fetal alcohol syndrome also experience developmental delay, organ dysfunction, lack of imagination or curiosity, and behavioral problems (including hyperactivity, anxiety, impulsiveness, and social withdrawal. Some other symptoms include poor coordination, learning difficulties, poor social skills, and epilepsy. These symptoms are the same ones that children with fetal alcohol effects, but children with fetal alcohol effects experience them display them to a lesser degree. …show more content…
Fetal alcohol syndrome is caused by chronic alcohol use during pregnancy, but even occasional or binge drinking can result in birth defects (FAE and ARND). When mothers drink alcohol, the fetus receives a high concentration of alcohol, because alcohol can easily pass through the placenta, and fetuses can’t handle it as well as adults can. The worst problems are caused when mothers drink during the first trimester, because that is when most of the baby’s brain development occurs. However, there are still some developments during the second and third trimesters, so drinking even just an average amount of alcohol at any time can cause damage to the
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a concise, uniform definition for conditions caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. FASD is a broad term used to describe the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy (Caley, Kramer, & Robinson, 2005). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder can also cause growth retardation, birth defectscomma and deficits in cognitive, languagecomma and motor development (Coles et al., 2015). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is a teratogenic effect, which is caused by daily, chronic, heavy and frequent alcohol use while in utero. Chances of an infant diagnosed with FASD are 0.5 to 3 in 1,000 live births (Cone-Wesson, 2005). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder has many different diagnoses. There is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), partial fetal alcohol syndrome (PFAS)comma and alcohol-related neuro-developmental disorder (ARND)comma all under the fetal alcohol spectrum disorder umbrella (Brown et al., 2015). Maternal alcohol use is correlated to the timing, frequencycomma and quantity of the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. Drinking during the first trimester may not be as detrimental as drinking during the second or third trimester. The frequency of alcohol consumed is also a key factor in FASD, such as how often per day drinks are consumed, the quantity of alcohol consumed, and how many glasses or cans per day the mother consumes
According to Seaver, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is birth defects causing learning, and behavioral problems in individuals whose mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy. This disorder is very serious, yet it is recognized as one of the most preventable. This causes major issues, when something so serious could be prevented but is not. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a problem because it leaves a permanent effect on the unborn child, but some solutions could be educating women and putting up more informational posters and warning labels on products.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a combination of physical and mental birth defects. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol she is making her child drink also. However, alcohol itself may not be directly responsible for all (or any) of the features of FAS. What may be responsible are
FAS is defined as a medical diagnosis involving four key features: alcohol exposure, growth deficiently, certain facial features, and brain damage. Infants who have been exposed to prenatal alcohol rarely show all symptoms of the medical condition FAS. Other terms have been used to describe the implication involved with FAS. Frequently used terms are: Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Alcohol-related Neurodevelopmental Disorder and Alcohol-related Birth Defects. A child with Partial Fetal Alcohol syndrome exhibits only some of the physical signs of FAS and will likely have both learning and behavioral difficulties. A child suffering from Alcohol-related Neurodevelopmental Disorder will demonstrate signs of neural damage, problems with memory, poor social skills, and learning difficulties. Children diagnosed with
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a pattern of mental, physical, and behavioral defects that may develop in the unborn child when its mother drinks during pregnancy. These defects occur primarily during the first trimester when the teratogenic effects of the alcohol have the greatest effect on the developing organs. The symptoms associated with FAS have been observed for many centuries, but it was not until 1968 that Lemoine and his associates formally described these symptoms in the scientific literature, and again in 1973 when Jones and associates designated a specific pattern of altered growth and dysmorphogenesis as the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (Rostand, p. 302). The set of abnormalities characterized by Jones
Every year, about 40,000 babies are born with symptoms of prenatal alcohol exposure (Lupton, 2003). This number will only continue to grow if the risk of drinking alcohol while pregnant is not brought to the people’s attention. When the mother takes a drink of alcohol, so does the fetus, which will cause physical and behavioral problems after birth. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is completely preventable and irreversible. FAS awareness and prevention is important; expectant mothers need to know the background information about the syndrome, some common symptoms, signs, and treatments, and the mental and physical abnormalities that will occur because of this lifelong syndrome.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a disorder that occurs when a mother consumes alcohol while pregnant. Individuals with FAS may face many problems such as, bad vision, hearing impairments, memory difficulty, communicative hurdles, and much more (Bergen & Yu, 2012). In began in 1981 when expecting mothers were advised not to drink while pregnant (Alcohol Policies Project, n.d). However, is 1995 4 times more mothers were consuming alcohol in comparison to a few years earlier in 1991 (Alcohol Policies Project, n.d). In addition, 52 percent of women ages 18-34 claimed to have been consuming alcohol while pregnant (Alcohol Policies Project, n.d). The reason for a mothers decision to drink is unknown, it could possibly be that mothers have read reports
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a series of mental and physical birth defects that can include mental retardation, growth deficiencies, central nervous system dysfunction, craniofacial abnormalities and behavioral maladjustment's. Fetal Alcohol Effect is a less severe set of the same symptoms.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) refers to a group of physical and mental birth defects resulting from a women’s drinking alcohol heavily or at crucial stages during pregnancy. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was first named and treated in the late 1960's. This condition results from the toxic effect of alcohol and its chemical factors on the developing fetus. FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation occurring in 1 out of every 750 births. The frequency of FAS occurs about 1.9 times out of every 1000 births according to the latest figures, and minor effects can be seen in up to 20% of pregnancies per year. This number changes drastically for women who are clearly alcoholics. As high as 29 children out of every 1000 births will suffer from FAS
1308). Fetal alcohol syndrome is a condition which may exist in infants when their mothers have abused alcoholic beverages during the term of their pregnancy. Fetal alcohol syndrome generally results in physical, mental and emotional damage to the offspring. For example, such infants are almost always of a smaller size and weight than normal infants at birth, and are found to have a smaller overall brain size as well. It has been noted that these factors often lead to developmental delays, fine-motor problems, and a higher risk of academic problems once the child enters school (Streissguth, 1986, p. 23). Fetal alcohol syndrome has also been related to such malformations in infancy as mental retardation, cerebral palsy and hyperactivity. In terms of learning disability, it has been found that fetal alcohol syndrome often results in decreased attention span and other difficulties which may require special education needs when the child reaches school age (Abel & Sokol, 1986, p. 330). Studies with laboratory animals have also indicated that fetal alcohol syndrome may be responsible for the impairment of learning and memory functions in the hippocampus area of the brain (p. 330). It has been noted that many of the incidental problems in infants caused by fetal alcohol syndrome can be overcome with corrective surgery;
Alcohol is a teratogen, meaning that is it a substance capable of interfering with the development of an embryo or fetus, causing birth defects (Teratogen). Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, or FASD, is a non-diagnostic umbrella term describing the varying range of effects that can occur as a result of prenatal alcohol exposure. These may include physical, mental, behavioral, and learning disabilities, or a combination of these (Facts). A number of factors are involved in determining the outcome of the child, including the dose and pattern of drinking, the timing of exposure, genetic factors, the nutritional status of the mother, and the use of other toxic substances . Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, or FAS, lies on the extreme end of the
Fetal alcohol syndrome is caused by the consumption of alcoholic beverages during the 9 months of pregnancy. It used to be believed that a small amount of alcohol during pregnancy was safe, and maybe even healthy, but now researchers are starting to find that no amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy. Even though researchers now know that even small amounts of alcohol could harm fetuses, doctors are still telling women that it’s ok to drink during pregnancy. It’s estimated that each year in the U.S., 1 in every 750 infants is born with fetal alcohol syndrome.
Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) includes a range of conditions that may occur to a person whose mother has experienced prenatal alcohol exposure (Rutman, 2016). This includes foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) being the most severe, as well as partial FAS, alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD), and other conditions that is determined to be due to alcohol consumptions of the mother during pregnancy (Warren, 2011).
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is one of the types of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, FAS, is a condition in a child that results from alcohol exposure during the mother’s pregnancy. The problem caused by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome varies from child to child, but defects caused by FAS are irreversible (Mayoclinic Staff). Exposure to alcohol before birth can cause a variety of different problems. Not only does exposure cause severe birth defects but certain people are more at risk than others for developing FAS. Age, race, social class, and occupation play a big part in determining who is more at risk. Yet Fetal Alcohol Syndrome does not discriminate; everyone who drinks alcohol while pregnant is at risk.