The facts about fetal alcohol syndrome

Compliments of the Montana Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Effects Program

FAS/E occurs after substantial use of alcohol during a pregnancy. It can affect anyone, regardless of race or economic status. It is a lifelong condition.

Children with FAS have, by definition, most of the following:

Small size and weight before or after birth
Specific facial appearance with 2 of the following groups of signs:
microcephaly or small head size
small eyes and-or short eye openings (palpebral fissures)
underdevelopment of the upper lip with flat philtrum (upper-lip ridges)
thin upper lip
Involvement of the brain with signs of delay in development, intellectual impairment or neurological impairment.
Signs of FAS

If a person shows some, but not all of the signs of FAS, and there is a history of exposure to alcohol before birth, he or she may have possible fetal alcohol effects. Another term sometimes used is alcohol related birth defects. There is no exact set of findings that confirms a diagnosis of FAE. Ongoing research is needed to define the less obvious forms of damage from prenatal alcohol exposure.
All people with FAS and FAE have some degree of brain damage which will have a significant effect on their lives. There may also be effects on other body systems such as heart, spine, and limbs.
When the condition is severe, special services are required. More often, there may be learning and behavior problems that go unrecognized or misunderstood.
Advice to teachers

Expectations by teachers, parents and employers for those with FAS/E may be unreasonable and unrealistic. Individuals often look normal and test average, and so are thought to be lazy or willful. Often there are difficulties making the judgements and decisions that make daily living successful.

Failure to recognize FAS/E can have serious consequences.

If the diagnosis is not made, adequate support and intervention may not be provided. This sets up a cycle of failure, which can have severe effects on the life of the affected person as well as on the family and the community.

FAE is sometimes thought of as a milder form of FAS. However, studies have shown that the learning and behavior difficulties can be as severe as in FAS.

Other factors such as abuse and neglect may play a major role in the child’s learning and behavior. Treating these factors alone will not be enough to overcome the effects of alcohol exposure, and both sets of issues need to be addressed.

Diagnosing FAS/E

Individuals of all ages can be evaluated for FAS/E. An evaluation may be requested for many reasons including delay in development, history of exposure to alcohol before birth, speech problems, behavior problems, physical concerns and many others.

Individuals have a complete medical history, specialized physical examination and review of medical and educational records.

Conclusions, recommendations, information and support are then provided to the individual and family as well as to professionals in the community who will be participating in the management team.

ACCURATE diagnosis as EARLY as possible is crucial.

Succeeding one step at a time

There is still much to be learned about meeting the needs of those affected by exposure to alcohol before birth.

There is also much already known, so that an individual who receives a correct diagnosis is in a much better position to benefit from intervention than one who is not diagnosed, and receives only partial treatment.