Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is growth, mental and physical problems that may occur if a mother drinks during pregnancy.

• In the United States, alcohol is the leading known preventable cause of birth defects.

• Many woman drink while pregnant. Estimates are that 1 in 750 births result in FAS.

Alcohol is a teratogen: a substance that is toxic to the baby's developing brain.

Darkest segments indicate greatest fetal sensitivity to alcohol exposure for organ systemsLightest segments indicate continued risk with physiological and minor structural abnormalities

• Frontal Lobes – Executive functions, impulse control and judgment

• Cerebellum – Coordination, movement, behavior and memory

• Basal Ganglia – Processes memory, time perception and setting goals

• Hippocampus – Learning and memory

• Corpus Callosum – Processes information between the right and left brain

6 week old baby MRI brain scans

Normal Brain

Fetal Alcohol Brain

COMPARATIVE MRI SCANS

Facial features of child with FAS

• Learning impairments associated with impaired dendrites of the hippocampus

• Impaired motor development and functioning associated with reduced size of the cerebellum

• Hyperactivity which is associated with decreased size of the corpus callosum

4-Digit Diagnostic Code

High Risk - Confirmed use of alcohol during pregnancy known to be at high blood alcohol levels delivered at least weekly in early pregnancy

Some Risk - Confirmed use of alcohol during pregnancy with use less than High Risk or unknown usage patterns

Unknown Risk - Unknown use of alcohol during pregnancy

No Risk - Confirmed absence of prenatal alcohol exposure, which rules out an FAS diagnosis

• Irreversible brain damage

• Not a genetic disorder

• Children may be “labeled”

• Healthcare providers need to be informed

Alcohol During Pregnancy: What is FAS? (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2014, from http://www.thinkpregnancy.org/english/alcohol_fas.htm

Data & Statistics. (2014, May 23). Retrieved December 5, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fasd/data.html

NOFAS – National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2014, from http://www.nofas.org/

Sobering Work. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2014, from http://www.come-over.to/FAS/SoberingWork.htm

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