Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes, Treatments

Sequelae include perturbations to affect regulation and cognition, as well as to physical appearance manifested via pathognomonic anomalies. If you think you have a problem with alcohol, get help before you get pregnant. There are professionals who specialize in addiction treatment. You can lose your baby in the womb during the second half of your pregnancy.

Children with FASD tend to be friendly and cheerful and enjoy social interaction. Fetal alcohol syndrome But caring for a child with this syndrome can be a challenge.

Differential diagnosis

A case study by Henry H. Goddard of the Kallikak family—popular in the early 1900s—represents this earlier perspective, though later researchers have suggested that the Kallikaks almost certainly had FAS. General studies and discussions on alcoholism throughout the mid-1900s were typically based on a heredity argument. Each diagnostic system requires that a complete FASD evaluation includes an assessment of the four key features of FASD, described below. A positive finding on all four features is required for a diagnosis of FAS.

Damage to your developing baby can happen at any point during pregnancy. All alcohol, including beer, wine, ciders and hard liquor can all cause FAS. By knowing what developmental stages and tasks children follow, treatment and interventions for FAS https://ecosoberhouse.com/ can be tailored to helping a person meet developmental tasks and demands successfully. This approach is an advance over behavioral interventions, because it takes the person’s developmental context into account while developing interventions.

What causes fetal alcohol syndrome and other fetal alcohol spectrum disorders?

A woman shouldn’t drink if she’s trying to get pregnant or thinks she may be pregnant. If a pregnant woman does drink, the sooner she stops, the better it will be for her baby’s health.

• They might include a developmental pediatrician, neurologist, genetic specialist, speech therapist, occupational therapist, and psychologist.
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• She tells us more about decreasing stigma and how to provide appropriate information to children and families.
• History of alcohol use by the child’s mother during pregnancy.
• There is no consensus on a specific pattern of functional impairments due to prenatal alcohol exposure and only CDC guidelines label developmental delays as such, so criteria vary somewhat across diagnostic systems.

There have been no dedicated FASD clinics within Western Australia, but there are also no nationally supported diagnostic criteria anywhere in Australia. Passive surveillance is a prevention technique used within Australia to assist in monitoring and establishing detectable defects during pregnancy and childhood. A recent effort to standardize assessment of functional CNS damage has been suggested by an experienced FASD diagnostic team in Minnesota. The proposed framework attempts to harmonize IOM, 4-Digit Diagnostic Code, CDC, and Canadian guidelines for measuring CNS damage vis-à-vis FASD evaluations and diagnosis.

How can I prevent fetal alcohol syndrome?

This BAC level is typically reached by a 55 kg female drinking six to eight beers in one sitting. Amount, frequency, and timing of prenatal alcohol use can dramatically impact the other three key features of FASD. While consensus exists that alcohol is a teratogen, there is no clear consensus as to what level of exposure is toxic. The CDC guidelines are silent on these elements diagnostically. The IOM and Canadian guidelines explore this further, acknowledging the importance of significant alcohol exposure from regular or heavy episodic alcohol consumption in determining, but offer no standard for diagnosis. Measurement of FAS facial features uses criteria developed by the University of Washington. The lip and philtrum are measured by a trained physician with the Lip-Philtrum Guide, a five-point Likert scale with representative photographs of lip and philtrum combinations ranging from normal to severe .

For many adopted or adults and children in foster care, records or other reliable sources may not be available for review. Reporting alcohol use during pregnancy can also be stigmatizing to birth mothers, especially if alcohol use is ongoing. In these cases, all diagnostic systems use an unknown prenatal alcohol exposure designation. A diagnosis of FAS is still possible with an unknown exposure level if other key features of FASD are present at clinical levels. When structural or neurological impairments are not observed, all four diagnostic systems allow CNS damage due to prenatal alcohol exposure to be assessed in terms of functional impairments. Functional impairments are deficits, problems, delays, or abnormalities due to prenatal alcohol exposure in observable and measurable domains related to daily functioning, often referred to as developmental disabilities.

What are the causes of fetal alcohol syndrome?

State and local social services can help families with special education and social services. Children with FASDs also are helped by being in a loving, nurturing, and stable home.

Newborns may need special care in the newborn intensive care unit . There are no specific medications approved to treat FAS, but appropriate medication can be used for related disease manifestations (e.g. stimulants for hyperactivity). Health Supervision This section provides information on evidence-based interventions, resources for clinicians, and helping families of children with an FASD access services and community supports. Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. As mentioned previously, complications range in quality and severity.