Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) exhibit cognitive, neuropsychological and behavioral problems, and numerous secondary disabilities including depression and anxiety disorders.
High levels of anxiety and sleep problems are common features of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).
Several studies have shown an increased risk for cognitive disorders (e.g., memory loss), mental illness, or psychological disorders among people with FASDs. The most frequently diagnosed disorders are: Attention problems, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Due to disruption of normal brain development, individuals with FASD may have a range of neurobehavioral deficits including impairments in attention, reaction time, visuospatial abilities, executive functions, motor skills, memory, language, and social and adaptive functions, and reduced IQ (Riley and McGee, 2005).
Symptoms of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders can include: Trouble with learning, memory, and attention span. Difficulty communicating, understanding language, decoding meaning. Being given to hyperactivity, impulsivity, and other behavioral problems.
disorganized and easily distracted. Ability to repeat instructions, but inability to put them into action (talk the talk) Inability to predict outcomes or understand consequences (don't learn from mistakes) Difficulty with social relationships (have trouble making and keeping friends)
Generally, complications here include issues with social skills, impulse control, concept of time, and adapting to change. Adults with fetal alcohol syndrome may face these social and behavioral issues: Hyperactivity. Stubbornness.
As they grow older, these children may have behavior problems. They may experience learning disabilities, trouble with memory and attention, and hyperactivity. Symptoms tend to get worse as the child grows older. The most serious problem FAS can cause is developmental delay.
Individuals with FASD can also have permanent vision and hearing problems; poorly developed bones, limbs and fingers; and damage to the heart, kidney, liver and other organs. Secondary disabilities are those not present at birth, but occur later in life as a result of the primary disabilities associated with FASD.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) affects the lives of millions of individuals in North America and is associated with a vast array of physiological, psychiatric, and neurological consequences that can significantly impair behavioral, emotional, developmental, and social functioning.
The four broad areas of clinical features that constitute the diagnosis of FAS have remained essentially the same since first described in 1973: selected facial malformations, growth retardation, Central Nervous System (CNS) abnormalities, and maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
Symptoms that infants with fetal alcohol syndrome could experience include: Abnormal facial features, including a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip, a thin upper lip, and small eyes. Low body weight. Short height.
The baby with FAS has a sensitive gag reflex and is likely to vomit easily. This, along with excessive crying and lack of sleep, contribute to difficulty stabilizing weight.
Children with FASD have an invisible brain-based condition. This means the best strategies are ones that change the child's environment rather than focusing on changing the child. Creating a calming physical space, having clear and consistent schedules and routines, and communicating appropriately can be helpful.
Most children and teenagers with FASD will confabulate occasionally. Confabulation in someone with FASD is caused by damage to the prefrontal cortex (frontal lobes) of the brain. This damage causes the individual to create and then to believe in false memories or perceptions.
General Intelligence
The majority of individuals diagnosed with FAS are not intellectually disabled (defined as overall IQ score < 70 and adaptive disability), and intellectual disability is not a necessary criterion for the diagnosis of FAS.
The results show that the life expectancy at birth of people with FAS is 34 years (95%CI: 31 to 37 years), which is significantly lower than (about 42% of) that of the general population (79 years for men, and 83 years for women).
Life span. In regards to mortality, those with FASD have a shorter lifespan on average than the rest of the population. In 2016, a study concluded that those with FASD had a life expectancy between the ages of 31 and 37, with the average age of death being 34.
American actor, producer, and activist Joaquin Phoenix is one of many famous people with fetal alcohol syndrome as well. He was born on October 28th, 1974, to John Lee and Arlyn Bottom.
Notably, it is estimated that seven percent of children with FASD have never been diagnosed and seven percent of children with FASD have been misdiagnosed.
People with FASD typically have trouble with overstimulation. People with ADHD typically have trouble with understimulation. People with FASD may have issues with speech, language, and memory. People with ADHD typically do not.
Partial fetal Alcohol Syndrome (pFAS)
When a person does not meet the full diagnostic criteria for FAS but has a history of prenatal alcohol exposure and some of the facial abnormalities, as well as a growth problem or CNS abnormalities that person is considered to have partial FAS (pFAS).
Individuals with FASD tend to show high rates of impulsivity and risky behaviour. Impulsivity becomes a concern in young childhood and continues into adolescence and adulthood along with unpredictable behaviour and risk taking. Risky and impulsive behaviours may show up in many different forms in individuals with FASD.
HOW DOES FASD AFFECT THIS AREA? Researchers have found that on average people with FASD generally have intelligence levels in the borderline to low average range, as measured on IQ tests. This means that they tend to have somewhat lower intellectual abilities overall.