How is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE) diagnosed?
• FAS and FAE are the older terms for what is now called Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND), a range of developmental delays resulting from the unborn baby being exposed to alcohol use by the birth mother. So far, it is primarily seen in some children from Eastern Europe and the Russian Federation, although it can occur in any country. The diagnosis is made on the basis of four criteria: likelihood the birth mother drank (no risk, unknown, some risk, high risk), the degree of growth failure (none, mild, moderate, significant), the degree of brain dysfunction (unlikely, possible, probable, definite) and whether the child has certain facial and physical features seen in babies exposed to alcohol pre-natally (none, mild, moderate, severe). The most difficult part of the diagnosis is judging the presence of the ARND facial features. It is rare for people and pediatricians to completely agree on the presence and degree of ARND facial features.
