What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)?
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a term to describe a range of disabilities that may affect an individual who was exposed to alcohol before birth. FASD includes terms such as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), partial FAS, alcohol related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND) and alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD).
A woman who drinks alcohol during pregnancy risks giving birth to a child with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). FASD is the umbrella term used to describe a range of defects and disabilities that are caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol. This may include some, but not all of those listed above. For example, a person with FASD may have developmental delays, but none of the physical characteristics of FAS.
There’s a lot to know about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, or FASD. Here are answers to some of the questions often asked about FASD. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a term that describes a range of disabilities that may affect people whose mothers drank alcohol while they were pregnant.