Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a group of conditions that can occur in a person whose mother consumed alcohol during pregnancy. FASD is the most common cause of brain damage before birth (called congenital neurological deficits) and is related to alcohol intake by the mother during pregnancy. 

Alcohol intake during pregnancy causes a wide range of damage to an unborn child and results in many different disorders. The degree of damage varies according to the amount of alcohol consumed and the time during the pregnancy that the alcohol was consumed. Other factors such as maternal nutrition also contribute to the variation in the effects on the baby. A pattern of binge drinking is considered the most damaging (large amounts of alcohol consumed rapidly). 

Please refer to Center for Disease Control and Prevention website for signs and symptoms, causes & prevention, and treatment information.

Condition Specific Organizations

• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
• FASD United (formerly National Organization of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS)
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Consultation, Education and Training Services (FASCETS)
• Proof Alliance (formerly MOFAS)
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism