The Effects Of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure On Children

“If women didn’t drink anymore during pregnancy, there would never be another baby born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Effect” (McCuen 33). This is a very powerful statement. It is also a very simple cure for an alarmingly high birth defect that all women have the power to stop. “Every year more than 40,000 American children are born with defects because their mother drank alcohol while pregnant “ (McCuen 34). That is 1 to 3 per 1,000 live births (McCuen 31). Many of these cases go undiagnosed “It is also the number one cause of mental retardation in the United States, and one of the three leading causes of birth defects.” (McCuen 33-34). “Alcohol produces more significant

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a concise, uniform definition for conditions caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. FASD is a broad term used to describe the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy (Caley, Kramer, & Robinson, 2005). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder can also cause growth retardation, birth defectscomma and deficits in cognitive, languagecomma and motor development (Coles et al., 2015). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is a teratogenic effect, which is caused by daily, chronic, heavy and frequent alcohol use while in utero. Chances of an infant diagnosed with FASD are 0.5 to 3 in 1,000 live births (Cone-Wesson, 2005). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder has many different diagnoses. There is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), partial fetal alcohol syndrome (PFAS)comma and alcohol-related neuro-developmental disorder (ARND)comma all under the fetal alcohol spectrum disorder umbrella (Brown et al., 2015). Maternal alcohol use is correlated to the timing, frequencycomma and quantity of the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. Drinking during the first trimester may not be as detrimental as drinking during the second or third trimester. The frequency of alcohol consumed is also a key factor in FASD, such as how often per day drinks are consumed, the quantity of alcohol consumed, and how many glasses or cans per day the mother consumes

As a result of pregnant women drinking, there have been a profuse amount of children born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Armstrong and Abel confirm that it wasn’t until 1973

National surveys show that about six out of every ten women of child-bearing age 18-44 years old use alcohol, and slightly less than one-third of women who drink alcohol in this age group binge drink. Excessive exposure to alcohol during pregnancy can inflict serious, permanent physical and mental damage on her child like Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorders (FASDS), Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), miscarriage, and premature birth. Although men are more likely to drink alcohol, and drink in larger amounts, gender differences in body structure and chemistry cause women to absorb more alcohol, and take longer to break it down and remove it from their bodies. Upon drinking equal amounts, women have higher alcohol levels in their blood than men, and

A pregnant woman's lifestyle ultimately affects the development of her baby. Excessive exposure to alcohol during pregnancy can inflict serious, permanent physical and mental damage on her child. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol she is making her child drink also. In knowing how Fetal Alcohol Syndrome can be prevented, what the symptoms are, and who and what make up the risk factors fetal alcohol syndrome can be better understood.

Some studies suggest that women who only consume one alcoholic beverage per day increase their risk of FAS. Every time that a woman drinks, the alcohol travels from her bloodstream to the placenta. The baby gets his or her nourishment through the placenta. A baby's body breaks down alcohol at a slower rate than an adult's. The best way to prevent FAS is not consume any alcohol while you are pregnant.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (known as FASD), is a term which encompasses a wide variety of negative health consequences as a result of exposure to alcohol while in the womb (Williams, 2006). This exposure has the potential to cause severe, permanent brain damage leading to cognitive and behavioural deficiencies throughout childhood and adolescence (Brown et al., 2015). FASD only occurs within the general population of North America in approximately 9.1 out of every 1000 births (McLachlan et al., 2014). However, this condition is much more prevalent in individuals involved in various stages of the justice system, affecting between 10% and 23% (McLachlan et al., 2014). This paper aims to explain how FASD affects a juvenile’s brain

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is an increasing problem in our world today. At least 5,000 infants are born each year with FAS, or about one out of every 750 live births, which is an alarming number. In the United States there has been a significant increase in the rate of infants born with FAS form 1 per 10,000 births in 1979 to 6.7 per 10,000 in 1993 (Chang, Wilikins-Haug, Berman, Goetz 1). In a report, Substance Abuse and the American Woman, sent out by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, at least one of every five pregnant women uses alcohol and/or other drugs during pregnancy (http:/www.nofas.org/stats.htm). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) refers to a group of physical and mental birth defects that are the

Fetal alcohol syndrome- It is frightening to know that doctors used to tell their patients that it was ok to drink a glass of wine when pregnant this is a big NO, even a sip can cause FAS. What is FAS? This is when a mother who is pregnant drinks alcohol and it reaches the fetus cause adverse birth defects. When ethanol (alcohol) is drank, it is met by enzymes who break down the substance, women have less of ADH then men making alcohol very dangerous for women just in general. Therefore when a women drinks even the littles drop it is hurting the baby in more ways than one and that one drop can cause FAS. When a drug like alcohol breaks thru the placenta barrier into the fetus there called teratogens (this is what causes the birth defect).

The timing of prenatal exposure to the teratogen, the dosage of the teratogen, and the individual differences in sensitivity to a particular teratogen. Alcohol is one of the most common and preventable causes of birth abnormalities. The amount of alcohol consumed during pregnancy, the timing of drinking, and individual differences in sensitivity to alcohol all play a role of the extent and nature of effects caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol. A child whose mother drank during pregnancy is likely to have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Children with FASD are likely to have behavioral problems and lower IQs, which results in them struggling in school and contribute to poor social skills. Drinking during pregnancy can also compromise physical

Behavioral malformations can include attention deficit or hyperactivity, as well as impaired adaptive behavior, social skills, and social communication.2 A range of affected behavior is evident, with any degree of general impairment possible in intelligence, reflex development, motor coordination, and hyperactivity of muscle.1 Core deficits that are found in a majority of cases of prenatal alcohol exposure include deficits in attention, learning, memory, emotional dysregulation, and executive functioning, which

The first, that screening children who have knowingly been exposed to alcohol before birth is crucial to understanding and predicting their development and the impact that alcohol exposure may have on them. Although it goes without saying that not all expectant mothers will disclose their drinking habits to their physicians, knowing that all children, regardless of a fetal alcohol syndrome diagnosis, should be cautiously monitored for delays is critical to supporting their development. In relation to this idea, there should be a higher importance placed on prevention and campaigning against fetal alcohol syndrome as well as more accessible intervention services. It is easy to assume that everyone is mindful of the dangers of drinking while pregnant, however it should not undermine the need for public awareness, especially because this study showed that even minor alcohol exposure is capable of causing developmental challenges. Public health services, such as screening for potential prenatal issues, should be available to everyone regardless of socioeconomic status. Lastly, the results of this study showed that many more children were eligible for intervention services than previously thought. “In many states documented delays of 25% or more in 1 area of development, including the motor area, will qualify a child for early intervention services” (Kalberg et al. 2006, p. 2043). Many of these children displayed delays

Even a small amount of alcohol has the potential to hurt the child. The unborn child of a person who occasionally drinks is at risk of receiving fetal alcohol effects. This condition causes children to receive some of the same of the same effects that come from fetal alcohol syndrome. A child may not receive any of these conditions due to a mother’s alcohol consumption, but there are still some potential effects. Evidence shows that when a pregnant mother consumes an average of two alcoholic beverages per day, her child may have a lower amount of intelligence and is also at risk for having mental retardation. Also, there is research that suggests that even low quantities of alcohol consumed during pregnancy can have contrary effects on the child’s behavioral and psychological functions, and can cause a child to exhibit behaviors such as hyperactivity, unusual nervousness or anxiety, and poor impulse control. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can also cause children to have less accuracy in their spatial and visual reasoning later in their lives. Due to these results, Sarah should be advised to not drink alcohol while she is

Children that have been prenatally exposed to alcohol can suffer from a variety of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorders (FASD), FASD is a large term that includes many different disorders as an effect of prenatal alcohol exposure. Fetal alcohol syndrome or FAS is one of the many diagnoses that are in that category, with symptoms like growth deficiency and damage to the central nervous system it makes it a lifelong mental disorder that makes it very difficult for the children to live a normal life. According to data and statistic from May 2014 made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) an approximation of the rate of children born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is between 0.2 to 1.5 cases per 1000 live births. Which makes Prenatal Alcohol Exposure a common issue in the US. In this paper I have chosen to use an article about possible treatments of children with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) through a program called Children’s Friendship Training (CFT) compared to another treatment plan called Standard of Care (SOC). O 'Connor, M. J., Laugeson, E. A., Mogil, C., Lowe, E., Welch-Torres, K., Keil, V., & Paley, B. (2012). In the article they state that children born with PAE have major social skills deficits. These children are commonly treated in

During the ten months of gestation, the ever-growing fetus goes through the stages and changes of becoming a functional human. Unfortunately for some, these children will not get the full advantages of life because of the choices of another. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) has been calculated to have an impact on nearly forty thousand infants a year (fasdcenter). To really see the magnitude of the effects of this easily preventable disorder, researchers followed children from birth into later years to study the deficits placed on these individuals.