Individuals with FASD may also experience difficulties with memory, learning, communication, and executive functioning, such as thought processes and decision-making. These and other effects of FASDs can negatively affect social interactions. It also discusses other effects of FASD and treatments for the condition. The prognosis of FASD is variable depending on the type, severity, and if treatment is issued.[citation needed] Prognostic disabilities are divided into primary and secondary disabilities. Most people with an FASD have most often been misdiagnosed with ADHD due to the large overlap between their behavioral deficits. In the womb, a baby doesn’t have a fully developed liver that can process or break down alcohol, so it can easily get to and damage the baby’s organs.

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Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the most severe form of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, a range of conditions caused by exposure to alcohol in the womb. FAS symptoms include distinctive facial features, lower-than-average height and weight, and problems with brain and nervous system development. There is no single test for fetal alcohol syndrome (a lifelong condition), but early detection and treatment can greatly improve the lives of children with FAS.

How is fetal alcohol syndrome diagnosed?

Children with FAS have CNS abnormalities, pre- or postnatal growth impairment, and characteristic facial abnormalities [12,13]. CNS abnormalities include microcephaly, tremors, hyperactivity, lack of motor skills, deficits in attention, learning difficulties, intellectual or cognitive impairment, and seizures [12]. Facial abnormalities include short palpebral fissures, epicanthal folds, flat midface, hypoplastic philtrum, and a thin upper vermilion border (Fig. 1) [12,13]. Children with FAS are commonly diagnosed 48.3 months after birth [14]. However, it is often missed or misdiagnosed, preventing affected children from receiving the required services promptly [15]. Fetal alcohol syndrome is a condition in a child that results from alcohol exposure during the mother’s pregnancy.

• Parental training is meant to help parents to help families cope with behavioral, educational and social challenges.
• People with FAS may have problems with their vision, hearing, memory, attention span, and abilities to learn and communicate.
• The baby doesn’t metabolize (break down) alcohol in the same way an adult does – it stays in the body for a longer period of time.

Dealing with behavioral issues

• So while a father cannot cause fetal alcohol syndrome, their alcohol intake may affect the likelihood of fetal alcohol syndrome occurring.
• Treatment strategies for FAS include nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic interventions.
• Alcohol use in pregnancy has significant effects on the fetus and the baby.

Your baby’s brain, heart and blood vessels begin to develop in the early weeks of pregnancy, before you may know you’re pregnant. Other things that may also help include eating healthily, maintaining a healthy weight, and quitting celebrities with fetal alcohol syndrome smoking. If a person drinks excessively, their sperm can change, and these changes may lead to potential health complications after a pregnancy. A one-off instance of being drunk should not affect the health of a baby.

Learning and thinking issues

Learning and cognitive difficulties

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome FAQs