0 - 3
3 - 5
6 - 9
10 - 13
14 - 18
Adults
Parent's Manifesto
Diagnosis

Diagnosis

The most recent description of FAS comes from the United States Institute of Medicine (1996). The syndrome is divided into a number of different categories;

1. FAS with confirmed maternal alcohol exposure
2. FAS without confirmed maternal alcohol exposure
3. Partial FAS with confirmed maternal alcohol exposure

A further category includes "alcohol-related birth defects" with a category of "alcohol-related neuro-developmental disorders".

There have been a number of different theories about how dangerous maternal drinking is to the foetus. Some scientists believe that even small amounts of alcohol can damage the unborn child (Streissguth FIND REF). Others believe that the pregnant woman has to be drinking at levels that would be defined as problematic or "alcoholic" before the unborn child will be harm by the drinking. A recent book by Dr. Ernie Abel states that the pattern of drinking in pregnancy is of importance in relation to alcohol related harm as harms occurs at high doses of alcohol and the severity of the syndrome relates to the frequency (Abel 1998).

For Alcohol-Related birth defects so the see the FAS Diagnosis page

Although FAS is a clear cluster of features which have been described above, other physical anomalies have been noted in relation to maternal drinking. These tend to be individual abnormalities rather than milder versions of the full syndrome. These include;

FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME (FAS)

See FAS Diagnosis page

Children aged birth to 36 months

1. Difficulty with feeding (problems with swallowing or sucking).
2. Difficulty with establishing a regular sleep pattern
3. Irritable
4. Exaggerated "startle response"
5. Delay in reaching normal "milestones"

FAS IN OLDER CHILDREN

For some strange reason people often think of FAS as something that relates to babies, but babies grow up! As children get older they often lose the "pixie-like" facial features of babyhood and therefore many of their problems appear to become less understandable.