An individual with FAS may have noticeable changes to their face and limbs, as well as delays in the way their body develops over time. There can also be mental and emotional challenges throughout the person’s life that can impact their social life, education and work. Because early diagnosis may help lessen the risk of some challenges for children with fetal alcohol syndrome, let your child’s healthcare professional know if you drank alcohol while you were pregnant. Teenagers with fetal alcohol syndrome may experience behavioral, cognitive, and physical limitations. No single physical or cognitive finding is pathognomonic; lesser degrees of alcohol use cause less severe manifestations, and the diagnosis of mild cases can be difficult because partial expression occurs. Any alcohol consumption can affect a developing fetus, and you don’t have to have an alcohol addiction for your drinking to have impacts, says Dr. Uban.
Treatment and support
This article examines symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of FAS in adults. Finding the right combination of medication and other treatments can help manage these symptoms. Occupational therapy may also help people with FASD manage their symptoms. This type of therapy can help improve executive functioning, social skills, and impulsivity.
- Evidence of CNS involvement can be structural (e.g., small brain size, alterations in specific brain regions) or functional (e.g., cognitive and behavioral deficits, motor and coordination problems).
- The greater the amount of alcohol consumed, the more severe the symptoms tend to be.
- Other things that may also help include eating healthily, maintaining a healthy weight, and quitting smoking.
Related Conditions
Other fetal alcohol spectrum disorders share some symptoms with fetal alcohol syndrome. All FASD diagnoses require evidence of fetal alcohol exposure in the womb. Fetal alcohol syndrome celebrities with fetal alcohol syndrome is caused by drinking alcohol while pregnant. When a pregnant person drinks alcohol, the alcohol enters the bloodstream and can reach the bloodstream of the developing fetus.
What to expect from your doctor
First-line treatments for children with ADHD and FAS include methylphenidate- and amphetamine-derived stimulants. Although more research is necessary, some studies show that the craniofacial differences of people with FAS may improve during or after adolescence. The traits most likely to persist are a thin upper lip and a smaller head circumference. If the child is more than 3 years of age, parents or caregivers can talk to a pediatrician and contact any nearby elementary school to ask for an evaluation. If the staff members are not familiar with the evaluation process, the next step is to ask to speak with the district’s special education director.
Exposure to alcohol can affect the fetus’s growth and development. Fetal alcohol syndrome is one form of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). FASDs can affect how a child’s body, behavior, and brain develop as they grow up, and these effects can last throughout a person’s life. Neurobehavioral disabilities in FASD include deficient global intellectual ability and cognition, and poor behavior, self-regulation, and adaptive skills. These domains should be measured using standardized testing, which often cannot be administered until after three years of age. FASDs are a group of medical conditions that occur due to alcohol exposure during pregnancy.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Facial to Behavioral Effects
Can my husband drink alcohol while trying to conceive?
Nonpharmacologic Treatment for FAS
- There is no “safe” amount of alcohol you can drink during pregnancy.
- If people have any evidence that they may have been exposed to alcohol in the womb, they can present that to a doctor.
- Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a form of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
- “About 20 percent of women who smoke continue to do so during pregnancy,” Rivkin notes.
- The result of alcohol on a developing fetus can lead to craniofacial differences, growth impairment, neurodevelopmental disabilities, and behavioral issues.