Fetal alcohol syndrome
Fetal alcohol syndrome is physical and mental damage in a child caused by alcohol exposure while in the womb. This a group of symptoms that appear together just like any syndrome. If a pregnant woman drinks wine, beer, or liquor (any alcohol) she risks giving birth to a child with a birth defect for his or her entire life. It's the most serious type of FASD. Damage can be done in the first few weeks of pregnancy when a woman might not know that she’s pregnant yet. The best was to prevent Fetal alcohol syndrome is to stay away from any alcohol. Some symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome is low birth weight, small head circumferences, failure to thrive, developmental delay, organ dysfunction, epilepsy, poor coordination, poor socialization skills, a lack of imagination or curiosity, learning difficulties, behavioral problems, and facial abnormalities: smaller eye openings, flattened cheekbones, and instinct philtrum. There is no cure, it stays with the child forever, but treatment
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Infants usually have a small birth weight; sensitivity to light, noise and touch; poor sucking; slow development; poor sleep-wake cycles; and increased chance of getting an ear infection. Toddlers have poor memory capability; hyperactivity; lack of fear; no sense of boundaries; and they have a need for excessive physical contact. Grade school-years have a short attention span; poor coordination; and difficulty with both fine and gross motor skills. Older children usually have trouble keeping up in school; low self-esteem; and lying, stealing, or antisocial behavior. Teenagers cannot distinguish between public and private behaviors; they have poor impulse control; must be reminded of concepts on a daily basis; and depression and anxiety. Adults need to deal with many daily obstacles; they need appropriate and affordable housing, transportation, employment, and money
The CDC talks about the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders; the causes, prevention, symptoms, treatment and ways to get help. The FASDs causes the baby to have problems when they are born and throughout their whole life. The cause of FASDs is when a woman drinks alcohol when she’s pregnant, or does not know that she is pregnant will cause problems to herself and the baby. When the mother drinks alcohol it’s in her blood, and it passes to the baby through the umbilical cord (CDC). Obviously, the prevention of FASDs is to avoid alcohol when you’re pregnant or start feeling nausea, morning sickness or any other pregnancy symptoms. The symptom and signs of having this disorder are learning disabilities, poor memory, problem learning math, problems
Fetal alcohol syndrome- It is frightening to know that doctors used to tell their patients that it was ok to drink a glass of wine when pregnant this is a big NO, even a sip can cause FAS. What is FAS? This is when a mother who is pregnant drinks alcohol and it reaches the fetus cause adverse birth defects. When ethanol (alcohol) is drank, it is met by enzymes who break down the substance, women have less of ADH then men making alcohol very dangerous for women just in general. Therefore when a women drinks even the littles drop it is hurting the baby in more ways than one and that one drop can cause FAS. When a drug like alcohol breaks thru the placenta barrier into the fetus there called teratogens (this is what causes the birth defect).
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) refers to the physical and mental disabilities or abnormalities resulting from maternal alcohol use while fetal alcohol effects (FAE) or partial FAS refer to other abnormalities such as social, sensory, or behavioral. The uniformity of FASD is utilized to include those suffering from substantial impairment to include not only those with FAS but also comprising alcohol neuro-developmental disorder (ARND) and/or alcohol related birth defects (ARBD). Estimates suggest that individuals having the complete range of partial FAS or ARBD equates to “at least 10 in 1000…translating to 40,000 children born every year…and far more common than other more well known developmental disabilities, such as Down syndrome and autism”
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the medical moniker for deformities and deficiencies that can arise in babies as the result of the mother's consumption of alcohol while pregnant. Any amount of alcohol consumption during pregnancy can contribute to the development of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and mothers are accordingly warned not to drink during pregnancy. The disorder can result in a number of medical issues including problems with sensory perception and cognitive ability that is permanently impaired.
Some of birth defects and development disabilities are caused by parental exposure to alcohol. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a group of terms that can provide the concept of the effects that may occur in a newborn baby whose mother was drinking alcohol during her pregnancy such as mental, physical, behavioral, and cognitive effects. FASD was first described in 1973 in the United State of America by Jones and Smith, it was defined at that time as a ‘tragic disorder’. For every 1,000 live births in certain areas of the United States there is about 0.2 to 1.5 infants with FASD. Although FASD is incurable disorder, understanding the nature of the disease, avoiding triggers, and getting an
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is one of the most common alcoholic disorders, but is the only one that is one hundred percent preventable. Unfortunately, the effects of FAS are unchangeable and last a lifetime. The effect of FAS in children include special needs, deformities of the skeletal system and major organ systems, especially the brain and the heart, constrained growth, Central Nervous System problems, poor motor skills, and difficulty with learning, memory, social interaction, attention span, problem solving, and speech and/or hearing. There are also facial features that are characteristics of FAS. Some of these include small eyes, short or upturned nose, flat cheeks, and thin lips. Although these facial features do fade as the child grows, there are numerous other difficulties to
Fetal alcohol syndrome is a condition which occurs in infants whose mothers abuse alcohol during pregnancy. This problem has gathered the increasing attention of the medical establishment in recent years. Although it is difficult to properly diagnose in the newborn infant, studies have shown that fetal alcohol syndrome results in a number of mental and physical symptoms, such as below normal birth weight, length, and I.Q. Children born with the syndrome are also found to have a number of learning disabilities. Some of these disabilities are related to nursing, and thus they can seriously affect the life and health of the newborn, and may cause nutritional problems which will in turn affect
Fetal alcohol syndrome is caused by the consumption of alcoholic beverages during the 9 months of pregnancy. It used to be believed that a small amount of alcohol during pregnancy was safe, and maybe even healthy, but now researchers are starting to find that no amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy. Even though researchers now know that even small amounts of alcohol could harm fetuses, doctors are still telling women that it’s ok to drink during pregnancy. It’s estimated that each year in the U.S., 1 in every 750 infants is born with fetal alcohol syndrome.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is a preventable disorder that affects many youth in our society. It is a cognitive disorder that affects their lives in many different ways such as relationships, education, employment, financially and socially. Olson, Feldman, Streissguth, Sampson, and Brookstein (1998) describe “Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) as a serious developmental disability caused by the teratogenic effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the growing fetus. FAS are defined by a characteristic pattern of prenatal and/or post-natal growth deficiency, specific cranio facial malformations and variable central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction”. One of the most debilitating affects of the disorder is that it is an invisible disorder if not detected
[The purpose of this paper is to explain the the disorder Fetal Alcohol Syndrome .This paper will aim to discuss what the disorder is ,it 's history how it is diagnosed and the treatment and prevention of this disorder.
A person with fetal alcohol syndrome can be diagnosed at birth based on symptoms and abnormalities. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder along side with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and other related alcohol related developmental problem are “the most common form of developmental disability and birth defects in the western world” (Clarke and Gibbard, 2003). Even with the recognition that alcohol is a contributing factor to birth defects there have been problems with accurate diagnoses.
throughout the full thirty eight weeks of a pregnancy. The most severe cases of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome are typically linked to alcohol consumption within the first trimester of pregnancy, more specifically the first few weeks after conception which can often be before the woman even knows she is pregnant. Physical deformities are the easiest to detect initially and are the first indication that a fetus may have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Abnormal facial features include small head, low nasal bridge, small eye openings, flat midface, epicanthal folds, thin upper lip, smooth philtrum, underdeveloped jaw, and short nose. Other physical characteristics include deformed limbs and lower/smaller (less than 10th percentile) than average height, weight, and head circumference (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is one of the most prominent and serious conditions associated with Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). There is no cure, and infants born with this condition display facial abnormalities, wide set and narrow eyes, growth problems and dysfunction of the nervous system.
The first, that screening children who have knowingly been exposed to alcohol before birth is crucial to understanding and predicting their development and the impact that alcohol exposure may have on them. Although it goes without saying that not all expectant mothers will disclose their drinking habits to their physicians, knowing that all children, regardless of a fetal alcohol syndrome diagnosis, should be cautiously monitored for delays is critical to supporting their development. In relation to this idea, there should be a higher importance placed on prevention and campaigning against fetal alcohol syndrome as well as more accessible intervention services. It is easy to assume that everyone is mindful of the dangers of drinking while pregnant, however it should not undermine the need for public awareness, especially because this study showed that even minor alcohol exposure is capable of causing developmental challenges. Public health services, such as screening for potential prenatal issues, should be available to everyone regardless of socioeconomic status. Lastly, the results of this study showed that many more children were eligible for intervention services than previously thought. “In many states documented delays of 25% or more in 1 area of development, including the motor area, will qualify a child for early intervention services” (Kalberg et al. 2006, p. 2043). Many of these children displayed delays
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a mental and physical birth defect. It occurs when a pregnant women consumes high levels of alcohol during her pregnancy. The effects of FAS can be traumatic in some cases, and in others children were slightly affected by exposure to alcohol. FAS has a wide range of effects on the fetus and infant, retarded growth, under developed facial features, slow cognitive development, and many more. The evidence of cases is overwhelming, yet in some societies it is still an on-going problem. I am going to cover the effects of FAS during the lifespan.