A diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome requires:* Growth retardation.* Evidence of central nervous system damage, such as a small head, poor coordination, learning disabilities, developmental delays, mental retardation and behavioral dysfunction, including hyperactivity.* A characteristic pattern of facial features and other physical abnormalities.* Documentation of maternal drinking. |
Debbie Crowell talks about the family she misses while she stays with daughter Sabrina at Las Amigas.
Some believe the number of victims is even higher. "Prenatal alcohol exposure is the commonest cause of learning disabilities in school-age children," said Binkiewicz, "and the numbers are probably bigger than we think.
"We still don't really know the exact effect of one drink," Binkiewicz added.
Misconceptions and a lack of understanding about the effects of alcohol on the developing fetus prevent society from recognizing it.
When left in the care of birth parents struggling with a multitude of social ills, the children sometimes are lost.
Most drinking parents do not stop after the birth of a child. In some cases, when it is believed the parents cannot care for their children, Arizona's Child Protective Services intervenes.
Carol Punske, mental health specialist with CPS in Tucson, said as many as 80 percent of children in the CPS system were exposed to alcohol in the womb.
Punske said these children are difficult to place in foster or adoptive homes.
"Some of the differences in these kids, especially the FAE kids, may seem fairly subtle, like a lower IQ, impulse difficulty, language difficulty," Punske said. "But the differences are devastating. It's a lifelong hardship."
As the number of women who drink during pregnancy grows, so will the number of damaged kids.
Lean economic times and societal stress are to blame for an increase in pregnant women's drinking, said Patricia Tanner Halverson, a Tucson psychologist who has worked with FAS and FAE children for eight years.
"People are struggling harder, but they're not getting the American Dream," she said. "There's a lot of anger, a lot of frustration, a lot of depression, and it's getting buried in the bottle."
Tanner Halverson fears the numbers of children affected by maternal drinking will only grow.
"I don't think the government has a clue how serious this is, and how it's spreading like a cancer," she said. "The human suffering is enormous, and very little is being done about it."