The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder? Alcohol can hurt the brain and body of an unborn baby. Babies born with brain damage may have FASD. FASD stands for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a term used to describe the many problems that can result when a woman drinks while she is pregnant. Are there any other names for FASD? Yes. There are several different problems that can result when alcohol is drunk during pregnancy, so you may see many different names. These names refer to specific problems that are included in FASD. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) includes: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) or Partial FAS refer to the many different problems caused by brain damage when a mother drank before her baby was born. Alcohol Related Birth Defect (ARBD) refers to brain damage caused by alcohol before a person was born. Alcohol Related Neurodevelopment Disorder (ARND) refers to any developmental problems a person has because their brain was damaged by alcohol before they were born. Of these conditions, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the most devastating. All of these conditions last a lifetime and do not go away when the baby grows up. All of these conditions can be prevented when a woman chooses to make a pregnancy alcohol free. For more information on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, contact the Flin Flon/Creighton FASD Committee at 687-8852. Source: Alberta Children's Services. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Information Series.
