Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Information

1. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol her baby can develop a range of permanent physical, cognitive, and/or behavioral problems- often called fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).
2. The central nervous system (CNS) deficits associated with prenatal exposure to alcohol include poor fine and gross motor coordination and a range of cognitive disabilities including learning disabilities, mental retardation, developmental disabilities, speech and language deficits, memory and processing problems, and attention problems.
3. The growth deficits associated with prenatal exposure to alcohol include prenatal growth retardation; birth weight, length, and head circumference below the 10th percentile; and/or postnatal growth retardation.
4. The facial features associated with prenatal exposure to alcohol include small eye openings (short palpebral fissures), a flat ridge between the mouth and nose (indistinct philtrum), and a thin upper lip (vermilion).
5. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is one medical condition caused by drinking alcohol during pregnancy. FAS includes a combination of physical and cognitive problems that occur in some individuals prenatally exposed to alcohol. 

For More Information

What are Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders?
Intervention Strategies
FAQ


New Research

Eye blinking may help identify children exposed to alcohol during pregnancy who don't have the distinctive facial features usually associated with the exposure. According to study lead author Sandra Jacobson, "Eyeblink conditioning (EBC) is a Pavlovian paradigm that involves temporal pairing of a conditioned stimulus, such as a tone, with an unconditioned stimulus, such as an air puff". Study results show that there was a dose-response relation between alcohol exposure and an FASD (fetal alcohol spectrum disorder) diagnosis and that a fundamental element of learning is affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. For more information check out the February 2008 eddition of "Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research".


National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Resources

Learn more about fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
Learn more about the diagnosis of FAS and other FASDs.
Learn more about the impact of alcohol on brain growth and development.

More information on FASD and the brain.