Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Effects in Children and Adults

The risk for potential fetal alcohol syndrome is established during the first prenatal visit. Pregnant women are questioned regarding behavioral risk factors, including illicit drug usage, alcohol consumption, smoking, and other high-risk behaviors. Several screening questionnaires may be utilized; these include (1) T-ACE, (2) TWEAK, and (3) AUDIT-C.

Goal of Fetal Alcohol Treatment

• Don’t wait for your child to have issues before seeking help.
• However, recognizing the problem early and getting treatment for symptoms of the disorder can improve outcomes for your child.
• The symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome tend to get worse as a person grows up.

Reach out to a healthcare provider if you think a child within your care might have fetal alcohol syndrome. Early supportive services can help increase their quality of life. This drunken baby syndrome exposure typically occurs when a pregnant person drinks alcohol, and it enters the fetus’s bloodstream through the umbilical cord. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) describes a group of permanent symptoms experienced by people who were exposed to alcohol in utero (during pregnancy). There are currently five conditions that make up FASD, including fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).

Is Any Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy Safe?

Many of the physical characteristics of FAS become less noticeable as the child ages. The emotional and behavioral problems, however, may increase. The symptoms of the neurological damage are usually the most serious. Most children will have normal intelligence while others will have mental retardation.

What is the treatment for fetal alcohol syndrome?

What may be responsible are byproducts generated when the body metabolizes («burns») alcohol. While no cure exists for fetal alcohol syndrome, early intervention programs have been shown to lessen the impact of language, motor, and cognitive impairments. Such aggressive programs utilize physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and educational therapy to maximize benefit. Adolescents and adults may benefit from programs dealing with academic, legal, and psychiatric problems.

You’ll notice we use the term “woman,” “women,” and “mother” in this article. While we realize this term may not match your gender experience, it’s the term used by the researchers whose data was cited. Estimates of the occurrence rate for FAS vary from .3-3 per 1,000 live births. EMedicineHealth does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Alcohol problems vary in severity from mild to life threatening and affect the individual, the alcoholic’s family, and society in numerous adverse ways. However, the most common and consistent features of FAS involve the growth, performance, intelligence, head and face, skeleton, and heart of the child.

Behavior and Education Therapy Programs

If you are consuming alcohol and trying to become pregnant or you are currently pregnant, reach out to a healthcare provider for help quitting. Prenatal alcohol exposure is the leading preventable cause of congenital (present at birth) conditions in the United States. When consumed during pregnancy, alcohol crosses the placenta and enters the fetus’s bloodstream. If you think there could be a problem, ask your healthcare provider for a referral to marijuana addiction a specialist (someone who knows about FASDs). Specialists could be a developmental pediatrician, child psychologist, or clinical geneticist.

How can fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) be prevented?

In some cities, there are clinics whose staff members have special training in diagnosing and treating children with FASDs. Treatment to help a mother with alcohol addiction is also recommended. Not only can this prevent fetal alcohol syndrome disorders in future children, but it can also provide parenting skills to help their child with fetal alcohol syndrome.