Helping all children become happy learners
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Introduction
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is used as a collective term for a range of developmental abnormalities caused by maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy and include:
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (pFAS)
Alcohol-related Birth Defects (ARBD)
Alcohol-related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND)
Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
There is no official internationally agreed diagnosis criteria for FASD. The term is used to include all children who have been exposed to alcohol during pregnancy. It covers the full spectrum of need from those with mainly behavioural symptoms to those with physical defects.
Alcohol and Pregnancy
Alcohol is one of the most widely used drugs in the world and the health risks associated with its use are well established. It is also a teratogen, a substance that can cause damage to the developing foetus. Unfortunately, alcohol is chemically very similar to other useful substances found in the body and therefore the placenta does not filter it out. This means that any alcohol consumed during pregnancy passes directly into the fetus with the potential to interfere with developmental processes.
All stages of pregnancy are susceptible to damage from alcohol and there is no safe amount that can be consumed.
Though alcohol use can damage the fetus at any time during pregnancy the first few weeks are particularly vulnerable. This is because the organs of the body including the brain are at their earliest stages of development and damage at this time can be significant.
Though the majority of women tend to avoid alcohol when expecting a baby there are a significant number who consumed alcohol before discovering their pregnancy. This is particularly so for unplanned pregnancies. In studies, people tend to under estimate the amount of alcohol they consume and so it is difficult when conducting research on alcohol during pregnancy to get accurate data. Equally, women who gave up alcohol for the pregnancy rarely report their drinking habits before discovering their pregnancy. What this means is that the impact of consuming any alcohol any time during pregnancy is likely to be understated in studies of child development and behavioural conditions.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
This umbrella term covering all alcohol related conditions is useful for including all individuals with development affected by alcohol. It highlights the continuum of sufferers from those with obvious birth defects and FAS symptoms to more subtle differences that can still significantly impact on the individual's learning and behaviour. FASD is estimated to affect 1 in 100 children though it is likely that a higher number of children have been more mildly affected by exposure to alcohol during pregnancy.
Common Difficulties
FASD can cause a wide range of difficulties affecting children's behaviour and learning. FASD is a spectrum condition with individuals differing in both which needs they present with and the severity of their needs. Thus a child can present with any of the following difficulties:
learning
language development
attention and concentration
understanding social boundaries (such as over friendliness with strangers)
short term and working memory
following instructions
learning from the consequences of their actions
egocentricity
separating fiction from reality
group social interaction
problem solving and planning
being still
coordination
sensory needs
Personality Characteristics
Children with FASD are often described as:
aloof
over excited
easily distracted
anxious
fearful
obsessional
impulsive
noisy
boisterous
overactive
Health Risks
Children with FASD have an increased likelihood of having additional health issues such as problems with:
bones
eating
mobility
incontinence
epilepsy
liver
kidneys
teeth
hormonal balance
vision
hearing
immune system

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