Skip to main content

FASD

Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) info 

 FASD - What's it all about? | Adoption Adventures (podbean.com)

 

What is FASD?

FASD, Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders is an umbrella term for several diagnoses that are all related to prenatal exposure to alcohol (i.e. while a baby is still in the womb)

These are:

  • Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, FAS
  • Partial Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, PFAS
  • Alcohol Related Neuro-developmental Disorder, ARND
  • Alcohol Related Birth Defects, ARBD
  • Foetal Alcohol Effects, FAE

 FASD is a series of preventable birth defects caused entirely by a woman drinking alcohol at any time during her pregnancy, often even before she knows that she is pregnant. Beer, wine, spirits -  it's all the same to the developing baby.

 

The term "Spectrum" is used because each individual with FASD may have some or all of a spectrum of mental and physical challenges. In addition each individual with FASD may have these challenges to a degree or "spectrum" from mild to very severe.

 

These defects of both the brain and the body exist only because of prenatal exposure to alcohol.  Often the condition goes undiagnosed, or is misdiagnosed, for example as autism or ADHD, and this can lead to secondary disabilities.

 

The challenges a person with FASD faces may include:

 

The Brain                                                                    

Intellectual Disability; lowered IQ

Memory Disorders

Learning Disorders

Attention Disorders

Sensory Disorders

Speech and Language Disorders

Mood Disorders

Behavioural Disorders

Autistic Like Behaviours

Sleep Disorders

 

The Body

Visual and Eye Defects

Hearing and Ear Defects

Mouth, Teeth and Facial Defects

Weak Immune System

Epilepsy

Liver Damage

Kidney Defects

Heart Defects

Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Defects

Height and Weight Deficiencies

Hormonal Disorders

Skeletal Defects

Genital Defects

 
Secondary Disabilities

Loneliness

School Expulsions

Addictions

Chronic Unemployment

Promiscuity

Unplanned Pregnancies

Poverty

Criminality

Prison

Homelessness

Depression and Suicide

- See more at: http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/articles.php?aid=741#sthash.dUC1Y1R6.dpuf

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

little jumps

Little one is about to be 4... This means I'll be on some manic birthday planning after this. Figured I'm normally writing about the process, so today I'll share the latest for little one. She's also been going through a development jump. She's (successfully ) dressing herself without me and her writing is getting much clearer. She's exploring humour (ok, her jokes are mainly funny for the absurdity at this point).  A month ago, if you asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, the answer was 'big'. Now, she's saying a doctor or an astronaut (depending on when in you ask). A lovely vtec laptop was gifted by friends a while ago and it seemed like time to let her explore it last week... Two days later, she was typing out her own name! Considering we were initially talking about what delays there may be for her language and speech, this is an extra achievement :) She had been still going to bed with a milk bottle until recently. This had moved to wat...
Post a Comment
Read more

Direct Contact prep resources

I have mostly used online resources and remembered bits I've looked at previously, but will include other resources that I've been recommended in the below so that you can pull whatever is helpful for you!  A lot of the first ones are aimed at social workers, but still have been really useful. Not least of all, because although this is something with a lot more push than it used to have, in my case, I've found they're no more resourced and haven't necessarily had a lot of focus (training) time for this.  Online resources I've pulled from: Good practice guide - Contact-PG_E.pdf Staying Connected: the views of looked after children and young people on their contact arrangements - Coram Voice Supporting evidence-informed practice with children and families, young people and adults | Research in Practice   Contact: making good decisions for children in public law: Frontline Briefing (2024) | Research in Practice Staying in touch: Contact after adoption | Research...
Post a Comment
Read more

Schools

I've just finished reading ' No Matter What ' by Sally Donovan. Sally's books have been recommended wherever the topic of adoption has come up, which says something in itself. This book is her story - what led her and her partner to look at adoption and the challenges that they experienced in the years that followed.  One of the topics covered at a later part of the book is schooling. Interestingly, her experiences seem quite aligned with what Adoption Adventures described - sadly in both cases a child ended up having to move school because the initial school did not have an understanding of the effects of early trauma and that they might have to think about their strategies to help their behaviour. They also noted that it's not unusual for the behaviours to lead to a misdiagnosis of ADHD. Both mentioned that when the children had experienced that lack of safety then changes in the room that they couldn't see could leave them really unsettled. One thing advised ...
Post a Comment
Read more