Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a general or “umbrella” term used to describe disabilities caused when a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy. FASD includes any of the following diagnoses:

  fetal alcohol syndrome
  partial fetal alcohol syndrome
  alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder
  alcohol-related birth defects

FASD is caused by drinking alcohol during pregnancy

FASD can happen when a pregnant woman drinks any type of alcohol, including beer, wine, hard liquor, or coolers. Alcohol crosses the placental barrier from mother to baby. Any amount of drinking during pregnancy can cause FASD.

  High risk begins when a woman has 2 drinks a day, or 14 drinks on average per week, or 4 or more drinks on any one occasion.
  Recent evidence suggests that even 1 drink per day may cause behavioural problems.

The kinds of problems the baby may have depends on when the mother drinks during the pregnancy:

  Since the brain is developing during the entire pregnancy, the brain is always being affected if the mother drinks regularly.
  Drinking during the first trimester increases the chance that the baby will have a small brain, physical problems, and/or severe mental retardation.
  Drinking during the second trimester increases the chances of spontaneous abortion (miscarriage).
  Drinking during the third trimester, and during nursing, can affect intelligence.

Not all babies who are exposed to alcohol during pregnancy will have FASD. We do not yet understand why some babies are born with problems and others are not, even when their mothers drank about the same amount of alcohol during their pregnancies. In some cases, one baby will have FASD but his fraternal twin will not.

Signs and symptoms of FASD

The effects of FASD are not always obvious at birth. Often, behavioural and learning problems are not noticed until the child is old enough to go to school. Differences from other children become more apparent at about Grade 3 or 4.

Some people with FASD have a mixture of physical and mental problems. Many children with FASD do not have physical problems.

Problems with intelligence and learning
Children with FASD may have one or more of the following problems:

  mental retardation (IQ below 70); however, most children with FASD have IQs in the normal range
  slow learning, short attention span, hyperactivity, or memory problems
  learning disabilities, especially with reading, comprehension, and abstract math
  delays or lack of abilities in speech and language: for example, the child may have receptive language disorder, interrupt, talk out of context, or chat with no content
  lack of executive function skills, including difficulties with organization, planning, and reasoning
  inability to manage money, for example by saving and budgeting
  inability to understand cause and effect

Sensory integration problems
Children with FASD may need more or less stimulation than the average person. This is called a problem with sensory integration. These problems may involve one or more senses, such as:

  sensitivity to touch; the child may not be able to tolerate tags in shirts or seams in clothing
  seeming to need more touch than other children; for example, the child may need tight hugs or may not seem to feel pain
  hating bright lights or noise
  noticing smells more than others
  being bothered by “every little thing”

These problems may occur in combination. A child with FASD could be hypersensitive to bright lights, but crave deep pressure or touch.