Your Baby and Alcohol Use - Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Alcohol Related Birth Defects

What are Alcohol Related Birth Defects?

Disabilities a child is born with, because of being exposed to alcohol before birth.
Some children are affected more than others.

What are these disabilities like?

We can group the problems in two areas.

1. Central Nervous System Problems:

• Hyperactivity.

• Impulse control.

• Memory problems.

• Information processing difficulties.

• Motor development problems or delays.

• Sensory sensitivity.
(Not and exhaustive list.)

2. Physical Problems:

• Small birth size.

• Decreased growth rate.

• Facial features that indicate Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

• Organ development problems: heart disease, cleft palate, etc.

• Joint problems: fingers, elbows, knees, and/or hips, have difficulty functioning.
(Not an exhaustive list.)

How can a child be exposed to alcohol before birth?

When a woman drinks alcohol while she is pregnant, her baby receives that
alcohol. Whatever growth process is occurring at the time will be harmfully affected.
Current research indicates the father’s alcohol consumption before conception may
also affect the offspring.

Can we reverse these disabilities?

No, but we can use understanding and skills to effectively help the child and the family.

What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a medical diagnosis of a specific type of Alcohol
Related Birth Defect. It is a very small part of the Alcohol Related Birth Defects. In
order for the diagnosis to be made, there must be confirmed maternal use of alcohol
during the pregnancy. Also, indicators in each of the following three categories must be
noted...

• Weight and height less than a third percentile when corrected for gestational
age.

• Evidence of central nervous system damage such as poor coordination, low
average IQ, hyperactivity, attention and learning deficits, motor problems, or
other problems.

• Characteristic pattern of facial and other physical features such as, very small
head, shortened eye fissures, flat mid-face, no groove in upper lip, flat and thin
upper lip.

Children affected by Alcohol Related Birth Defects benefit from:

Early diagnosis.
A stable, nurturing home.
Understanding care givers who:

• Give clear, immediate feedback.

• Give simple, consistent feedback.

• Break instructions into smaller units.

• Praise for successes.

• Work with the child not on the child.

• Use structure to minimize chaos/stimulation.

• Use prompts to assist learning.

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