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Case studies for fetal alcohol syndrome
Fetal alcohol syndrome effects on children
Case studies for fetal alcohol syndrome
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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)
The next examination was called the eyelid lift. The doctors used a hook to lift the eyelids to look for trachoma. Trachoma is " an easily spread infection of the eye. Repeated occurrences scar the upper eyelid, eventually turning it inward. The eyelashes then scratch the cornea, leading to blindness." Chalk marks were put on their clothes to indicate what was wrong. A few were, Sc for scalp disease, G for goiter, K for hernia, L for lameness and S for senility.
The lines in your face that appear with age are commonly referred to as frown lines, furrows, and crows ' feet. They are typically caused by years of repeated facial expressions, excess exposure to the sun, cigarette smoking, and other lifestyle factors. Doctors have
In the United States, twenty million children are experiencing physical, verbal and emotional abuse from parents who are addicted to alcohol. Growing up in an alcoholic house can leave emotional scars that may last a lifetime. This is tragic because we consider that childhood is the foundation on which our entire lives are fabricated. When a child’s efforts to bond with an addicted parent are handicapped, the result is confusion and intense anxiety. In order to survive in a home deficient, of healthy parental love, limits, and consistency, they must develop “survival skills” or defense mechanisms very early in life.
Addiction controls people in many ways. Some addictions can even lead to death if not stopped early on. Addiction to any kind of substance or drug is not an easy thing to quit. It is hard to quit because it is not physically hard but also mentally hard to end an addiction. Addiction controls people by making them lose control of their actions and cravings. Also addiction controls people by changing their circadian rhythms which make it hard to stay away from what they are addicted to.
“I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!” A child has most likely heard that phrase at some point in their life. Although, it is not ethical or legal for a mother to “take her kid out of this world”, it does bring up a good point that it was through her body, that the child was born. One of the most important responsibilities in this world is a mother carrying a child in the womb. There are many divine processes that take place during gestation, but there are also many contributing factors from the mother that can affect the developing human. These factors may include what a woman ingests and exposes her embryo or fetus to. Sadly, alcohol use during pregnancy is an ongoing problem that can have detrimental affects on the fetus, including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Choosing to drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy is a choice, a risky choice. Unfortunately some women don’t even know they are making a risky choice by consuming alcohol because it is in the early stages of pregnancy. It is common for a female to not find out they are pregnant until at least the fifth or sixth week after fertilization. In 2006, 49% of all pregnancies in the United States were reported unintended on a national survey.1 The highest rate of preventable birth defects and mental retardation is due to alcohol use.2 In this paper, I will further discuss FAS, the potential effects of binge drinking during the embryonic stage of gestation, and what actions need to be taken in order to reduce the incidences of alcohol related birth defects.
Due to these unrealistic images and ideals during this impressionable developmental stage, it is not surprising that adolescent girls make up 95% of individuals who suffer from eating disorders (ANAD, 2013). Clearly, media images and messages greatly contribute to the development of eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa (Edwards, 2008, Maclagan, 1998). Dokter describes an eating disorder as, “a reflection of a person’s degree of unhappiness with themselves” (1995, p.208). Mitchell adds that eating disorders are a “disturbance of delusional proportions in the body image and body concept” (Brooke,2008,p.15). Eating disorders include: anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge eating, and other non-specified eating disorders. It is crucial for individuals with eating disorders to seek treatment due to the fact that it is life threatening. Of all mental disorders, eating disorders bear the highest mortality rates (ANAD,2013).
It is commonly known that everyone should spend at least one hour a day getting some sort of exercise. Being physically in shape can overall reduce health risks and expand one’s own life span in a positive way. As being a college student who works out daily, I completely agree with this statement because exercising has brought upon me adequate amount of health benefits as well as bestow positive mentality. It has been also reported that many elderly adults has been told by doctors to exercise as often as possible, for it helps reduce problems such as heart diseases, cholesterol and even cancer. Many younger adults also participate in exercising daily to achieve the toned or muscular body that they desire. This makes perfect sense because I don’t know one person who doesn’t want a well-defined six pack, especially when it comes to beach season.
Yancey, Diane. Eating Disorders. Brookfield, Connecticut: Twenty-First Century Books A Division of The Millbrook Press, Inc., 1999.
"Causes of Eating Disorders." Mental Help. N.p., 2 Feb 2007. Web. 20 Feb 2014. .
The first thing we will look at is what drug abuse is. Drug abuse is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance, such as cocaine, or heroin, that can cause pleasure, but the continued use of which becomes compulsive and will start interfering with everyday life, such as school, work, parenting responsibilities, or relationships. Addicts are not generally aware that their own behavior is out of control and are usually oblivious to the problems that they are causing to themselves and to others.(“What is Addiction?” 2014) The longer the addiction and addictive behaviors persist, the worse the person will become, and the more dependent they will become on the drug. The reason it is so hard for an addict to change their ways is because the brain’s chemistry is altered from addiction.
Addiction is a condition that develops from a simple immoral act or increased dependency on drugs for normal functioning of the body. While it has traditionally been considered as a condition brought by behavioral problems, addiction is a disease of the brain as evident in the findings in neuroscience, genetics, and biological studies. The condition is a disease because of the significant effects it has on the structure and function of the brain.
"What Is Binge Eating Disorder? What Causes Binge Eating Disorder?" Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.
Addiction is a very strong word that brings along many negative connotations. When we think of an addiction we imagine someone who depends on a certain substance, most likely alcohol to have their needs met. Addiction is defined by the Webster dictionary as, "a compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal." Even though our society sees addiction and only applies the word to drug addicts and alcoholics, there is a much wider range of subjects that fall under the umbrella of what an addiction truly is. An addiction is a dependency on any kind of materialistic object that you use on a day to day basis that brings
Addiction is a psychological condition that comes up when a person takes a drug or engages in an activity, which becomes compulsive and interferes with the ordinary responsibilities in life (Leshner, 1997). The addicts in most instances do not know that their behaviors affect others, and that it is out of control. Addiction is a physical addiction, or the biological state, whereby the body adapts to the presence of a drug to the extent that the body becomes tolerant. Because of the tolerance, there is always a reaction when an individual stops the consumption of the drug. However, the majority of the addictive behaviors is not related to the physical tolerance or exposures to cues. In most of the times, people have a compulsive need to use the drugs as a form of reaction towards emotional or psychological stress that they face. Since addictive behaviors are psychologically based, most of the people tend to switch from one form of drug to another.