Symptoms And Treatment Of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - 1649 Words

FASDs are defined as â€Å"an umbrella term describing the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy† (Caley, Kramer, and Robinson, 2005, p. 139). Alcohol has a teratogenic effect on the brain, and each child inside the uterus is affected differently. FASD is not a clinical diagnosis (Caley et al., 2005). Currently the diagnoses under FASD include fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), partial fetal alcohol syndrome (pFAS), alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), and alcohol related birth defects (ARBD) (Bertrand, 2009). FAS is considered the most severe of the FASD diagnosis and is compriseds of facial dysmorphia (features that include the narrowing of the eyes, smooth area between the†¦show more content†¦Green (2007) emphasized that FASDs cognitive and behavioral effects can and do develop separately from the physical facial characteristics. Overall, children and adults with FASDs are faceing a lifelong challenge ofwith lifelong, negative effects of the brain and CNS damage. As a result, children with FASD can have a wide range of physical, cognitive, social, mental, and behavioral effects† (Caley et al., 2005). FASDs presents in each person differently. Carpenter (2011) says that â€Å"A number of factors, such as the pattern and timing of alcohol consumption, the stage of foetal development, and social behavioural factors, such as poverty and smoking, may exacerbate the impact of alcohol† (p. 37). In addition to the facial features, other physical effects can include malformations, deficits in motors skills and some children even present with seizures. The cognitive impact can also be very damaging to a child. They can have a learning disability, mental retardation, memory deficits, information processing disorders, a lack of executive functioning skills, can inconsistently perform in abstract and generalizing tasks (they struggle to relate and build upon previous knowledge), and they often lack cognitive flexibility. Executive functioning is important for a student in the classroom. A student needs these skills for paying attention,