Fact Sheet with Citations

• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is a term that includes both Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND). Studies indicate that FASD may affect one out of one hundred babies in North America, making alcohol the leading cause of brain damage to babies during pregnancy. (Teratology 1997 Nov;56[5]:317-26)
  
• FASD is the leading known cause of mental retardation in western civilization (NIAAA, Eighth Special Report NIH Publication No. 94-3699).
  
• Most individuals with alcohol related disorders have normal or above normal intelligence and normal physical appearance. (Streissguth et al, "Understanding the Occurrence of Secondary Disabilities in Clients with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE)," Final Report to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), August, 1996)
  
• Children who grow up visibly detectable FAS or invisible ARND are at high risk of serious secondary problems, such as dropping out of school or getting expelled; getting into trouble with the law; abuse of alcohol and other drugs; inappropriate or risky sexual behavior; inability to maintain employment; and mental health issues such as clinical depression. (The Challenge of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Overcoming Secondary Disabilities, Ann Streissguth and Jonathan Kanter, 1997, University of Washington Press.)
  
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was first officially named as a medical disorder in 1973 by researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle. (Recognition of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in Early Infancy. Jones, K. L., Smith, D. W., The Lancet, Nov. 3, 1973, pgs. 999-1001.)
  
• The average lifetime cost of caring for one child with FAS is $2 million. The cost to U.S. taxpayers for FAS alone is approximately $6 billion per year. (Lupton C, Burd L, Harwood R. Cost of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C (Seminars in Medical Genetics) 2004;127C:42–50.)
  
• Risk factors for frequent drinking (6 or more drinks per week) by women at the time of conception include one or more of the following: being unmarried; a smoker; being white (non-hispanic); over the age of 25; or having a college education. (Floyd RL, Decouflé P, Hungerford DW. Alcohol use prior to pregnancy recognition. Am J Prev Med. 1999 Aug;17(2):101-7.)
  
• Women’s prenatal drinking is strongly influenced by the drinking behavior of her spouse, partner, and family members. Drinking during pregnancy is closely related to drinking behavior before pregnancy. (Smith IE, Lancaster JS, Moss-Wells S, Coles CD, Falek A. Identifying high-risk pregnant drinkers: Biological and behavioral correlates of continuous heavy drinking during pregnancy. J Stud Alcohol. 1987;48:304–309.)
  
• Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause permanent damage to the baby’s brain, resulting in neurological impairment of the executive functions. Affected individuals often have difficulty functioning in everyday life and are not able to implement effective problem-solving strategies. (Journal of Pediatrics, 92(1):64-67. Ann Streissguth, Developmental Neuropsychology 2000; 18(3):331-54; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Press Release 301/443-3860, March 20, 2000)
  
• The effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol last a lifetime. There is no safe level of drinking during pregnancy. (Drinking Alcohol During Pregnancy, March of Dimes 2003)
  
• There is no cure, but Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are 100% preventable (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2003).

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Click here for printable fact sheet.

Prepared by Teresa Kellerman, Cofounder of FASworld FASD Awareness Day

Director, FAS Community Resource Center www.come-over.to/FASCRC

President, Fasstar Enterprises www.fasstar.com