fetal alcohol syndrome diagonistic and prevention network

FASD is not a diagnostic term used by clinicians. Diagnosis is easier if the birth mother confirms alcohol use during pregnancy. FAS is a permanent condition. It affects every aspect of an individual?s life and the lives of his or her family. FAS baby's often have more than one problem. These problems don't do away.

FAS and related developmental and physical conditions should be considered disabilities that are eligible for financial help. FASDs are 100 percent preventable. FAS is a classic example of a family problem. A mother who abuses alcohol needs and deserves treatment for this problem, not only during pregnancy but afterward.

Faced with a profound lack of understanding, these women used easily accessible alcohol as both a crutch and a sedative. Unfortunately, the social taboo of alcohol addiction in our community had only increased the guilt and loneliness they felt. Families can be referred to the project after the initial investigation is completed. A written contract is drawn up between the family and the service providers to clarify expectations and consequences for non-compliance. FAS is the most common preventable cause of mental retardation. This includes those children who may have significant neuropathology related to fetal alcohol exposure, but may not have classical findings of growth failure and facial dysmorphology.

FASSNet prevalence rates are similar to rates published previously from population-based prevalence studies, despite different case definitions and surveillance methods. These data indicate that children born to mothers in certain racial/ethnic populations have consistently higher prevalence rates of fetal alcohol syndrome.

Neurological problems are expressed as either hard signs, or diagnosable disorders, such as epilepsy or other seizure disorders , or soft signs. Soft signs are broader, nonspecific neurological impairments, or symptoms, such as impaired fine motor skills , neurosensory hearing loss , poor gait , clumsiness , poor eye-hand coordination, or sensory integration dysfunction . Neurological and learning challenges range from severe to mild, and symptoms often resemble those for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children with FASD also have lower IQ—although only 25 percent of children who have FAS have mental retardation (IQ of 69 or under).

Prenatal alcohol treatment is best obtained through the Maternal Child Health Division of the local or state government. Prenatal alcohol exposure is a primary factor in placing children in state care, with the result that FAS affects an estimated 60% to 75% of foster children. A significant number of children with FAS are placed in domestic adoptions. Prenatal or postnatal growth retardation typically results in a height or weight below the 10th percentile for age and race. Microcephaly is common, as are structural brain anomalies.

Child Find is responsible for assessment and establishing eligibility for individuals from birth to 21 years of age. The school system provides services beginning at age 3. Children with VCFS demonstrate short palpebral fissures, malar hypoplasia, microcephaly, and learning disabilities. However, children with VCFS also can have a broad nasal root with bulbous nasal tip, deficiency of the alae nasi, hypocalcemia, and long slender fingers.

Individuals with FASD exhibit EF deficits in the areas of cognitive flexibility, planning and strategy use, verbal reasoning, some aspects of inhibition, set shifting, fluency, working memory, and, recently, on tests of emotion-related or hot EF. Some researchers have linked prenatal alcohol exposure to abnormalities in the development of the frontal cortex of affected individuals or animals. Individuals who felt valued and part of the assessment process were more receptive to releasing important educational, medical and mental health information which could not be accessed without consent. In working with adults with FAS or FAE, earlier records often provide vital clues to childhood functioning which is an important component to the diagnostic process (Streissguth, Aase, Clarren, Randels, LaDue & Smith, 1991).