Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
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Fetal alcohol Syndrome
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What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)?
FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation in the U.S. today. FAS affects approximately 1 in every 500 born in North America. Mother’s drinking alcoholic beverages during pregnancy causes FAS. FAS is characterized by:
п‚· Smaller heads
п‚· Deformed facial features (small widely spaced eyes, underdeveloped jaw, thin upper lip, and short upturned nose).
п‚· Abnormal joints and limbs- these include deformities of the small joints of the hands as well as an incomplete rotation at the elbow.
п‚· Poor coordination
п‚· Problems with learning- difficulty sequencing, difficulty understanding cause and effect, and weak generalizing skills.
п‚· Short memories
п‚· Medical problems- vision problems, hearing problems, epilepsy, renal failure, heart failure, and death.
п‚· Inappropriate behavior- poor impulse control and poor judgement.
How FAS Affects Functioning In School:
Beginning with infancy, the children have problems at feeding and are highly irritable. They also exhibit unpredictable sleeping and eating patterns, which make it hard for the baby to be cared for and for maternal bonding to occur. During development, both physical and mental, FAS children have very fine and poor motor coordination skills and it becomes very apparent at the preschool age. They also are very affectionate but at the same time very hyperactive, which makes it a problem for the teachers who have them in class to deal with. This is why they are, during the first few years of school, given the diagnoses of having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): this diagnoses is