FAS+(Fetal+Alcohol+Syndrome)

FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) Taylor Longo Kiera McMahon Both Taylor and Kiera

1) What is the name of the defect? The name of the defect is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). This defect occurs when the woman drinks alcohol during her pregnancy or even while trying to become pregnant. The problems the child may face can be physical, mental or behavioral.

2) What are the symptoms? The symptoms of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome are mental retardation, small size and slow growth, heart defects, vision and dental problems, hearing loss, poor muscle coordination, and behavior problems. These behavior problems are stubbornness, fearlessness, irritability, hyperactivity, and bullying of others.

3) What population does the defect most commonly affect? This defect most commonly affects any child being born from a mother who drinks alcohol during her pregnancy. There is no distinction that it will be more likely to happen to boys over girls, or visa versa. If you are pregnant with a boy or girl and you are consuming alcohol it is the same possibility all around for this child to be diagnosed with FAS.

4) What is the cause of the defect? The cause of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is Environmental. It is caused by drinking any type of alcohol during pregnancy. There is no specific amount of alcohol that can be determined to have this defect on the child although a study of moderate drinking during pregnancy found no harm. Researchers suggested that one drink per day provides a big margin of safety even though that they don't encourage it. Even though it is not known how much alcohol it can take for a child to have this defect it becomes a high risk when a women drinks up to 7 glasses of alcohol per week.

5) When is the defect most commonly diagnosed? This defect is often diagnosed after birth. There are no lab tests available to determine that the child has FAS during birth. This possibility can only be suspected if it is aware that the mother has been consuming any type and any amount of alcohol. This defect is most likely detected by noticing that the child is irregularly tiny. They often have a tiny head and are underwieght by at least 5 pounds. They are also prone to another defect of cleft palate. Their eyes appear as tinier slits. Along with appearance deformities, FAS is also noticed by behavioral problems. That may include depression, short attention span, and aggressivness.

6) How is the defect most commonly diagnosed? Before the child is born there is no way of knowing if the child is diagnosed with FAS because there is no lab test for it. If the doctor is told that alcohol was consumed while being pregnant they watch for signs in the child's initial weeks, months and years of life.

<span style="color: #0093ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">7) How is this defect treated? <span style="color: #0093ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">There is no cure for FAS; however some of the symptoms may be treated. Facial deformities can be corrected by a plastic surgeon. Heart problems faced with FAS can be treated with surgery. There is support groups that familys can join to get help if their child has certain symptoms and behavior problems. There is also therapy that familys can go to that help with fetal alcohol syndrome children.

<span style="color: #b300ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">8) Is there any way to prevent the defect? If so, what precautions are needed? <span style="color: #b300ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">A way to prevent FAS is not drinking any alcohol during pregnancy because no specific amount if proven to cause it. To keep your baby healthy, avoid any alcohol during pregnancy as well as when trying to become pregnant although drinking in large moderation doesn't cause harm.

9) FAS Bonnie Buxton and Brian Philcox gave birth to a daughter diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome at the ages of 17. For them it took time to settle and become okay with the diagnosis. They both observed that people with this defect have to be treated differently. Most people who are dealing with FAS don’t have good judgment, meaning they never know right from wrong. School is a definite issue faced for children with FAS because the environment is to overwhelming for them. In order for the child to focus, the classroom must be filled with no other material than the topic they are learning at the moment. Buxton had become interested in this defect and began to research the activity of the children affected by this. "We have met the most extraordinary people in the 12 years we've been doing this. I don't know where the energy comes from. We're just very passionate about the subject," admits Philcox. Later on Buxton went on to write a book about the viewpoint from a mother who had given birth to a child diagnosed with FAS.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">10) What kind of support is available to families of a child born with this defect? Although there are no support groups avalible in Colchester for FAS, Janet F. Peck offers counseling and therapy that helps enhance there life satisfaction. Another therapist in Colchester Ct is Jim Govoni who is there to help you grow as a person. Branching out, there is a National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. NOFAS

<span style="color: #b300ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">11) At least one additional information about the birth defect that had an impact on you. <span style="color: #b300ff; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">In 1974, a United States study compared the children of 23 alcoholic mothers to 46 non-drinking mothers with people that had the same characteristics. At age seven, the alcoholic mothers children earned lower scores on math, reading and spelling tests. Siblings born after their mother became alcoholics had disabilities compared to the children born before the mother became an alcoholic. On another study, 14 out of the 23 children in this category were considered mentally retarded. This had an impact on me because I was very surprised that more than half of the children had a mental disability. Also it was interesting to me that they actually found specifically what the alcoholic mothers kids were scoring lower in and what was different between them and non-drinking mothers.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">"Fetal Alcohol Syndrome." Health&Wellness Resource Center. RelayHealth, 11-01-2011. Web. 18 May 2012. <http://www.nofas.org/>.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">"Fetal alcohol syndrome." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Gale Science In Context. Web. 18 May 2012.