Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

4 Pages 889 Words

Would you fill your baby’s bottle with alcohol such as beer, wine or whisky? No, you probably wouldn’t, however, if you drink while you are pregnant, that is just what you are doing. Once alcohol has gone into the mothers bloodstream, it crosses throug
the placenta into her unborn baby. The system of that unborn baby cannot break the alcohol down like that of the mother. Alcohol interferes with his or her ability to get enough oxygen and nourishment for normal cell development in the brain and other b
y organs.
In this paper I intend to explain the unfortunate outcome of prenatal alcohol exposure. This outcome has come to be know as “Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.” The result is a range of physical and mental handicaps as a result of having symptoms similar to other
edical problems, fetal alcohol syndrome is often misdiagnosed.
What is fetal alcohol syndrome? The term “alcohol-related birth defects” (ARBD) describes a range of physical or mental abnormalities attributed to prenatal alcohol exposure. The most severe effects are described as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Fetal
cohol syndrome describes a “pattern of abnormalities observed in children born to alcoholic mothers.” Individuals with FAS are only a portion of individuals who are affected by in-utero exposure to alcohol. The most severe cases can be positively identi
ed by the characteristic facial appearance, which will be talked of more in depth later.
The term fetal alcohol effect (FAE), is used to describe a condition in which the baby has symptoms of FAS, but they are less severe. Alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), refers to children who exhibit only the behavioral and emotional p
blems of FAS. They show no developmental or growth problems. These terms are often used to classify individuals who do not have FAS but share characteristics associated with FAS (especially central nervous system dysfunction and other cognitive abnormal
ies)....