Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

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Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

There are different characteristics that accompany FAS in the

different stages of a child's life. "At birth, infants with intrauterine

exposure to alcohol frequently have low birth rate; pre-term delivery; a

small head circumference; and the characteri stic facial features of the

eyes, nose, and mouth" (Phelps, 1995, p. 204). Some of the facial

abnormalities that are common of children with FAS are: microcephaly,

small eye openings, broad nasal bridge, flattened mid-faces, thin upper

lip, skin folds at the corners of the eyes, indistinct groove on the upper lip, and an

abnormal smallness of the lower jaw (Wekselman, Spiering, Hetteberg,

Kenner, & Flandermeyer, 1995; Phelps, 1995). These infants also display

developmental delays, psychomotor retardatio n, and cognitive deficits.

As a child with FAS progresses into preschool physical, cognitive

and behavioral abnormalities are more noticeable. These children are not

the average weight and height compared to the children at the same age

level. Cognitive manifestations is another problem with children who have

FAS. "Studies have found that preschoolers with FAS generally score in

the mentally handicapped to dull normal range of intelligence" (Phelps,

1995, p. 205). Children with FAS usually h ave language delay problems

during their preschool years. Research has also shown that these children

exhibit poorly articulated language, delayed use of sentences or more

complex grammatical units, and inadequate comprehension (Phelps, 1995).

There are many behavioral characteristics that are common among children

with FAS. The most common characteristic is hyperactivity (Phelps, 1995).

"Hyperactivity is found in 85% of FAS-affected children regardless of IQ"

(Wekeselman et al., 1995, p. 299 ). School failure, behavior management

difficulties, and safety issues are some of the problems associated with

hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder. Another behavioral

abnormality of with children with FAS, is social problems. "Specific

diffic ulties included inability to respect personal boundaries,

inappropriately affectionate, demanding of attention, bragging, stubborn,

poor peer relations, and overly tactile in social interactions" (Phelps,

1995, p. 206). Children are sometimes not diagnosed with FAS until they

reach kindergarten and are in a real school setting. School-aged children

with FAS still have most of the same physical and mental problems that

were diagnosed when they were younger. The craniofa cial malformations is

one of the only physical characteristic that diminishes during late

childhood (Phelps, 1995).

"Several studies have evaluated specific areas of cognitive

dysfunction in school-age children exposed prenatally to alcohol.

Researchers have substantiated: (a) short term memory deficits in verbal

and visual material; (b) inadequate processing of inf ormation, reflected

b sparse integration of information and poor quality of responses; (c)

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