Society can be quick to judge youth when news stories include incidents of teenagers who are engaged in gang violence, drugs and other illegal activities that compromise the safety of others. The real crime behind some of these law breakers isn't an adolescent that just decided to be deviant, it's an adolescent who through no fault of his own was born to a mother who drank alcohol during her pregnancy.
FASD is an insidious affliction for anyone to live with, regardless of his age. Fetal alcohol is the largest single cause of mental disabilities in many countries and it is totally preventable.
What Exactly is FASD?
There are a multitude of factors that contribute to the severity of FASD. What alcohol was consumed, how much, how frequently and in what fetal development stage the baby in utero is at, all play a role in FASD.
A fetus in the first month of pregnancy develops a heartbeat, starts to grow arms, legs and the digestive system develops. By the end of the second month the baby has a face, developing ears, the spine begins to form, the brain, liver, kidneys, and bloodstream are developing. One can only imagine how altered that fetus will become during this particular stage of pregnancy no matter what quantity of alcohol is consumed.
Fetal alcohol effects is a term that was quickly lost as although there are no physical signs of alcohol damage, the brain has been altered. This form of FASD is called Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND).
Static Encephalopathy or Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, is equally as damaging to babies. Static encephalopathy is irreversible brain damage. Developmental problems may include a range of disabilities such as cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, autism, attention deficits and more. The leading cause of developmental disabilities characterized by Static Encephalopathy is the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) children have distinctive physical appearances and lower I.Q.'s. These individuals generally fare better in life than those with ARND because they get an earlier diagnosis. Those with ARND are seen as “kids with bad behaviors”. People with ARND are afflicted with a multitude of problems. They may have:
- life long learning disabilities
- poor memory
- poor reasoning abilities
- poor social skills
- impulsiveness
- aggressiveness and a lot of anger
- lack of conscience
- have a propensity toward breaking the law due to poor boundaries
- addictions
No matter how much they have to live with, one thing is certain, most ARND individuals cannot maintain employment and are not in a financial position to have supports.
FASD Costs Society
A high number of FASD children end up in the foster care system. Some researchers estimate that each FASD individual will cost about $2 million in his lifetime. Cost factors include: foster care, psychiatrists, assessments, therapist, counselors, welfare, health problems, crime and the criminal justice system.
It's believed by those who work in the FASD field that if statistics were compiled, the numbers of all those serving time in jail or prisons who have FASD would be the vast majority.
Prevalence
In North America FASD has the largest incidence of any birth defect.
- 3 out of 10,000 will have muscular dystrophy
- 4 out of 10,000 will have HIV infection
- 4 out of 10,000 will have cystic fibrosis
- 8 out of 10,000 will have spina bifida
- 10 out of 10,000 will have down syndrome
- 20 out of 10,000 will have FAS
- 70 out of 10,000 will have autism
- 100 out of 10,000 will have ARND
What to Do?
The complexities of FASD pose a huge societal problem. Education is crucial in prevention. If you know of a woman who is wanting to become, or is pregnant, let her know that there is nosafe amount or safe time to drink alcohol during pregnancy. Ceasing the use and abuse of alcohol is the only answer in preventing another innocent child from this preventable birth defect.
FASD Online Resources:
Public Health Agency of Canada
