Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) include fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), and alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD). (The terms ARND and ARBD replaced Fetal Alcohol Effects - FAE - in 1996.) They are caused by prenatal alcohol exposure, and may affect 2-5% of the US population and Western European population. (CDC, 2018a)

Infants and children with FASDs might exhibit some of the following characteristics:

• Small size or short stature (compared to peers or for gestational age)
• Facial anomalies (e.g,. thin upper lip, short palprebral fissures, long filtrum, epicanthal folds)
• Microcephaly
• Central nervous system abnormalities
• Cardiac defects
• Cognitive and behavioral problems (e.g., similar to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities, developmental disabilities, mental retardation)
• Sleep and sucking disturbances in infancy

For more information about FASDs, visit these websites:

• http://depts.washington.edu/fasdpn/
• http://depts.washington.edu/fasdwa/
• http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fas/