FASD

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is an umbrella term describing the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects may include physical, mental, behavioral, and/or learning disabilities with possible lifelong implications. The term FASD is not intended for use as a clinical diagnosis.

The disorders under the FASD umbrella are:

• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
• Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (PFAS)
• Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND)
• Alcohol-Related Birth Defects (ARBD)
• Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE)

Key Facts on Alcohol and Pregnancy

There is no safe amount or type of alcohol during pregnancy.  Any amount of alcohol, even if it’s just one glass of wine, passes from the mother to the baby.  It makes no difference if the alcohol is a liquor such as vodka, or beer or wine.

A developing baby can’t process alcohol.  Developing babies lack the ability to process alcohol through the liver.  They absorb all of the alcohol and have the same blood alcohol content as the mother.

Alcohol causes more harm than heroin or cocaine during pregnancy.  The Institute of Medicine says, “Of all the substances of abuse (including cocaine, heroin, and marijuana), alcohol produces by far the most serious neurobehavioral effects in the fetus.”

Alcohol used during pregnancy can result in FASD.  An estimated 40,000 newborns each year are affected by FAS, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, or have FASD, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, with damage ranging from major to subtle.

1 in 100 babies have FASD, nearly the same rate as Autism.  FASD is more prevalent than Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, SIDS, Cystic Fibrosis, and Spina Bifida combined. Alcohol use during pregnancy is the leading preventable cause of birth defects, developmental disabilities, and learning disabilities.