What are Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect?
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a medical condition in an individual that occurs when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol. Children with FAS have all three of the following characteristics: • Special facial characteristics • Small for age, in height and weight • Brain and central nervous system injury/damage Children with a related condition, fetal alcohol effect (FAE), have also been affected by alcohol, but will not have all three of the above characteristics. With FAE, it is important to know the mother’s history of alcohol use. The damage to the developing brain by alcohol exposure can cause a wide variety of symptoms. Some of these are: • Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) • Learning disabilities • Difficulty with time, money, and numbers • Inability to make “wise” decisions and choices • Problems with daily living skills • Overtly friendly—everyone is their friend • Not afraid of things—will climb the highest slide • Does not learn from mistakes • IQ’s ranging from m
