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Frequently
Asked Questions About Fetal Alcohol Syndrome(FAS) and Fetal Alcohol
Effect(FAE)
What
is FAS/FAE?
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the name given to a group of physical
and mental birth defects that are the direct result of a woman’s
drinking alcohol during pregnancy. These defects can include mental
retardation, growth deficiencies, central nervous system dysfunction,
craniofacial abnormalities and behavioral maladjustments. Fetal
Alcohol Effect (FAE) is a less severe set of the same symptoms.
How
common is FAS/FAE?
In 1991, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported
that FAS/FAE had surpassed both Spina Bifida and Downs Syndrome
as the leading known cause of mental retardation. In 1995 the Centers
for Disease Control reported a sixfold increase in FAS rates over
the past fifteen years.
Who
is affected?
FAS/FAE occurs among all races, ethnicities and socioeconomic groups.
The notion that FAS is a problem confined to minority groups, the
poor and uneducated is a dangerous myth. Any child is at risk if
their mother consumed alcohol during pregnancy. FAS/FAE is 100%
preventable when a woman abstains from drinking during pregnancy.
How
does alcohol consumption during pregnancy affect fetal development?
Any alcohol consumed by the mother readily crosses the placenta
and is also taken in by the fetus. Alcohol can directly alter fetal
development by damaging and killing developing cells throughout
multiple organ systems. Alcohol can also reduce the transport of
essential nutritional elements that are the building blocks of fetal
development. Not all women who drink during pregnancy give birth
to children with FAS or FAE. However, medical authorities including
the US Surgeon Generals Office recommends that all pregnant women
abstain completely from alcohol.
How
do you know if a child has FAS/FAE?
Diagnosing FAS is a clinical judgement and MUST be made by a specially
trained physician experienced in syndrome characteristics. The medical
diagnosis for FAS hinges on whether a child displays a specific
cluster of physical traits , and suffers from growth deficiency
and central nervous system problems. Physical traits of FAS/FAE
children can include small head size, a flat midface and nasal bridge,
small eyes, thin upper lip, short upturned nose, protruding forhead,
and receding/pointed chin. FAS/FAE children may also be shorter/smaller
than average birth length and weight and may experience slow growth.
What
steps should I take if I suspect a student has FAS/FAE?
If you suspect a child has FAS/FAE, a recommendation needs to be
made to the parents that the child be diagnosed by a trained physician.
Identification is pivotal to recognizing that the child with FAS/FAE
is not willfully misbehaving but struggling with an organic disorder.
Talk to your counselor or administrators in your school to determine
the best process for addressing this issue. Every schoolís goals
in addressing this issue should be to:
- Recommend
psychological testing when appropriate
- Discuss strategies
that will provide students with a safe, positive atmosphere for
learning
- Plan a curriculum
that includes basic living skills, social skills and anger management
- Focus on
the strengths of individual students
- Monitor
students’ behavior to prevent harm to themselves or others
- Maintain
open communication with the parents including being sensitive
to cultural values and the potential stigma associated with alcoholism,
as well as providing referral sources
- Stay informed
about ongoing FAS/FAE research and network with other community
resources
What
problems do FAS/FAE children experience in classroom settings?
The severity of central nervous system dysfunction associated with
prenatal alcohol exposure occurs along a continuum ranging from
severe to mild. While many children with FAS/FAE are mentally retarded,
others have normal IQ scores. In fact, some FAS/FAE children will
score too high on academic tests to permit them to enter special
education classrooms. Yet, even those children who are not technically
mentally retarded, often experience significant difficulties in
academic and adaptive functioning. A particular deficit in arithmetic
skills has often been noted, reflecting difficulties with abstractions
like time and space, cause and effect, and generalizing from one
situation to another. Some of the most frequently reported behavior
problems include poor concentration, stubbornness and sullenness,
social withdrawal, crying or laughing too easily, impulsiveness,
and periods of high anxiety. Due to their problems with understanding
and remembering rules, these children can also be prone to conduct-problems
such as lying, stealing and sexually inappropriate activities.
How
can I create a safe and productive learning environment for FAS/FAE
students?
In essence, the brain of a child affected by alcohol has trouble
processing information which can include taking in information,
distinguishing signals from background noise, integrating or sequencing
information, and responding to the signal with the right routine.
Children with FAS/FAE function best when there is structure, order,
and routine. Too often, they are punished, teased, humiliated, or
rejected because they cannot “keep up” with their classmates. The
reality is that they have a birth defect that causes them to think,
act, and relate differently than other students. Once in school,
they need and deserve to learn as much as they are capable of in
a safe, healthy, caring environment. FAS/FAE children function best
in small classrooms with one to one supervision. This is not always
possible, however there are other ways to create an optimal learning
environment for these students:
- Keep stimulation
and change to a minimum
- Give clear
and consistent rules and guidelines
- Provide
as much one-to-one attention/supervision as possible
- Use positive
reinforcement
- Acknowledge
students’ feelings and develop a plan for them to express these
feelings in appropriate ways
While these
general principles are helpful in many cases, each child with FAS/FAE
is unique and teachers should expect to make progress on a trial-and-error
basis. Additional questions to ask:
- Where can
the child sit so he can focus best and be least disruptive? It
is important that the student know this is not punitive.
- What is
the child’s learning style — visual, auditory, kinesthetic? ?
What are realistic academic expectations for the child? If he
has trouble keeping up, consider changing or shortening his assignments
so he can experience success.
- How can
the teacher build on the student’s strengths?
- Who is available
to work one-on-one with the child (an aide, intern, parent or
other volunteers)?
- What types
of discipline work or don’t work?
- What strategies
should be used if the child has an outburst in class?
- How will
the child be adequately supervised outside the classroom including
recess, lunch, and field trips?
For
Additional Information on FAS/FAE:
National Organization
on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS)
418 C Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
(202) 785-4585,
Fax: (202) 466-6456
http://www.nofas.org/
National Clearinghouse
for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI)
P.O. Box 2345, Rockville, MD 20852
1-800-729-6686 (301/468-2600 in the DC metro area)
http://www.health.org/
Most Frequently
Asked Questions About Fetal Alcohol Syndrome created in part through
a collaborative effort between the NEA Health Information and Network
and the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in response
to New Business Item #36 passed at the 1994 NEA Representative Assembly
in New Orleans, LA.
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NEA Health Information Network