The_Effects_Of_F.A.S

The Effects Of F.A.S Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is an increasing problem in our nation today. At least 5,000 infants are born each year with FAS, or about one out of every 750 live births, which is an alarming number. In the United States alone, there has been a significant increase in the rate of infants born with FAS, 1 per 10,000 births in 1979 to 8.7 per 10,000 in 2000 (Chang, Wilikins-Haug, Berman, Goetz 1). In the report, “Substance Abuse and the American Woman“, sent out by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, at least one of every five pregnant women uses alcohol and/or other drugs during pregnancy (http:/www.nofas.org/stats.htm). Unfortunately, these figures are increasing, making FAS one of the leading causes of birth defect in our country. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) refers to a group of physical and mental birth defects that are the direct result of a woman’s consumption of alcohol during her pregnancy. It is a series of both mental and physical birth defects ranging from mental retardation, growth deficiencies, central nervous system dysfunction, cranial and facial abnormalities, and behavioral . In addition, FAS is the leading known cause of mental retardation, above both Spina Bifida, and Down’s Syndrome, according to fas, alcohol, children, brain, syndrome, child, fetal, during, mental, disabilities, retardation, one, early, development, damage, http//wwwarbiorg, growth, first, effects, small, secondary, result, researchers, pregnancy, kenner, intervention, hess, hearing, disorders, disorder, birth, because, abuse, abnormalities, years