Maternal Alcohol Exposure Case Studies

I have a baby brother that has this syndrome. That’s the main reason for picking this syndrome. He didn’t start walking until he was around 4 years old. He’s not that good, but he can get to where he needs to go. He’s 11 but his brain functions as a 3-year-old. He can’t talk yet, but he can yell. He goes to the hospital and stays overnight for 1 or 2 days for a sleep test every year or every other year. This syndrome affects the family because we still have to schedule and move things around because he needs more attention and can’t really be left alone since due to this syndrome he can have episodes (seizures). A seizure is a sudden episode of uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain. I decided to

“Its the importance of intervening early, ideally in the first year or two of life or even before the child is born” (Kristof 51). Before a child is even born, there is steps every mother can take to ensure a good life for their child. A doctor cant always guarentee that a baby will be healthy, but a mother taking precautions in their own life and health can always give a better chance for a child to live a healthy life. “Within four weeks of conception, a human embryo has formed a neural tube, which then begins to produce brain cells. As the brain is forming, it is shaped by the uterine environment in ways that will affect the child for the rest of his or her life. A mother who drinks alcohol may leave her child with fetal alcohol syndrome,

There are a number of symptoms that a child may develop if he or she has FAS. Some of those symptoms include low birth weight, failure to thrive, small head circumference, facial abnormalities and epilepsy. The effects of FAS can be long-lasting. Children who have FAS are more likely to develop mental retardation. In fact, FAS is the top cause of mental retardation in children.

To clearly distinguish a child as having FAS poses a difficult thing for researchers. They soon began to realize that they were encountering children with some, but not all the classical signs of FAS. Because a diagnosis of FAS demands the presence of all three hallmarks, (growth deficiency, central nervous system dysfunction, and

As stated before FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation. There may be mild to severe growth retardation including decreased birthweight and head circumference in addition to continued growth retardation for height, weight and head circumference. Children with FAS fail to ever catch up in growth during the preschool years and have a tendency to remain thin even though there is adequate nutrition. These children often have anomalies and deformed facial features such as short palpebral fissures, flat midface, thin upper lip, indistinct philtrum, epicanthal folds, low nasal bridge, minor ear anomalies, micrognathia, strabismus, ptosis of the upper eyelid, narrow receding forehead, and a short upturned nose (Hess and Kenner 2). In broader terms the face of a FAS child includes a small head; a small maxilla which is the upper jaw; short, upturned nose; smooth philtrum which is a groove in the upper lip; smooth and thin upper lip; and small slightly narrow eyes with noticeable epicanthal folds (http://www.adam.com/ency/article/0009111.sym.htm). In the American Journal of Public Health and article called Tobacco and alcohol use during pregnancy and risk of oral clefts, described a study conducted to examine the relationship between alcohol consumption during the first trimester of pregnancy and oral clefts (Lorente, Cordier, Goujard and Ayme 1). First of all during the 6th through

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders describes the wide range of effects that can occur if a mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects include physical abnormalities, mental problems, and/or learning disabilities with possible lifelong implications. The child affected is more likely to have trouble in school, problems with the law, participate in high risk behaviors and/or problems with drugs or alcohol. The most severe form of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders is known as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).

FAS, also known as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Is a condition the occurs in a female's off spring when the mother drinks alcohol during any time during her pregnancy. What happens is that the baby absorbs the alcohol through the mother's placenta. There the alcohol can enter the fetus blood stream slowing poisoning the fetus. FAS can lead behavioral problems, speech problems, facial deformities, as well as learning problems.

Pre-natal alcohol exposure is an established cause of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), which is now recognized as the most common preventable cause of mental impairment in North America (Popova et al., 2013). Individuals with FASD experience a wide range of neurological and psychological disabilities caused by permanent brain alterations (Petrenko et al., 2014). The adverse health outcomes that arise from FASD have lifelong implications and pose a significant burden on the Canadian health care system (Popova et al., 2013). From a public health perspective, FASD presents a unique and complex challenge due to the specialized needs of those diagnosed with FASD, and the complexities of maternal alcohol use.

The aboriginal population in Canada is growing, and it is known that 56% of Aboriginals live on an rural reserve or community (Government of Canada, 2014; NCCAH, 2011). It is important to note that those Aboriginals living on reserves and in communities have a significantly higher rate of health issues than those living in cities (NCCAH, 2011). This stems from the limited access to healthcare that Aboriginal rural areas receive (NCCAH, 2011). The lack of healthcare causes higher numbers in diseases, conditions, and disorders among the Aboriginal people of Canada (NCCAH, 2011).

The fastest sperm has finally reached the outskirts of the awaiting egg, its sole purpose in life has been fulfilled as it fuses with the oocyte. Lots of divisions begin to occur, what was once a zygote becomes a blastocyst, which becomes the embryo, and the beginning formation of a baby has commenced. The difficult part is over now, right? This could not be further from the truth. The development of a human, from fertilization to birth, is a very complex and intricate process. It is through very specific processes that an embryo develops normally, without any sort of functional or structural irregularities. When harmful substances like alcohol interrupt these processes, the contaminated environment surrounding and

Distinctive facial features. A child may have a small head, flat face, and narrow eye openings, for instance. This gets more obvious by age 2 or 3 years.

Since the discovery of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in 1973, government agencies have begun to give recommendations in a more precautious manner. I think that the intention behind it is to allow expecting or future mothers who consume large amounts of alcohol to feel confortable during their pregnancy. That they do not have to feel that they are being monitored or that they are being restricted from a right they are entitled to.

In this span of time the effects of FAS are many different patterns of behavior. Including, lack of reasoning skills, do not learn from mistakes very often, irrational behavior, and no cause and effect thinking skills. Marks older brother James is 31 months old. Though the two of them showed many of the same behaviors and symptoms of FAS, James was older and had an entirely different attitude and problems. He also showed no language development, but did not show evidence of emotional reactions. Also he did not respond well to social approaches from children or adults. He had horrible sleeping habits, often waking up in the middle of the night and wondering around and playing with toys in the dark. Another problem he had was he would not eat at the table, also would eat food out of the trash and off dirty plates. At the same check-up that Mark had, James also showed dramatic improvement. Though small for his age, he tested at an IQ of 75. Very high for someone in the condition he was one year ago. He was potty-trained, all sleeping issues were seemingly gone, food patterns were normal. As they get older they are developing conduct issues at school. (Stratton pages 56-58)

Considering the high costs to treat and educate children with intellectual disabilities, the prevention of CIDs represents a public health issue. For this reason, I agree that the government and the society have the right to intervene in order to deter the occurrence of CIDs.

The diagnosis may also be suggested by ventriculomegaly (surplus of fluid in the lateral ventricles within the developing brain) and increased subarachnoid space. Some forms of the disease are also associated with microcephaly, which is another feature that can be easily detected during the final three months of