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Home › Articles › Illnesses, Diseases & Disorders › Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Why Moms-to-be Shouldn't Even Have "Just One"

By Teri Brown

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What Is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder?
Vicky McKinney is the co-director of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Family Resource Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to identifying, understanding and caring for individuals disabled by prenatal alcohol exposure and their families. "Fetal alcohol syndrome is the pattern of neurologic, behavioral and cognitive deficits that can occur to the child when a mother drinks alcohol during her pregnancy," she says.

Fetal exposure to alcohol can cause an array of disorders under the umbrella known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs,) the most severe of these being fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).

"There are many symptoms of FAS and they can range in severity, but they include mental retardation, learning disabilities, attention deficits, poor impulse control and social, language and memory deficits," McKinny says.

According to the CDC, symptoms can also include the following:

  • Small size for gestational age or small stature in relation to peers
  • Facial abnormalities
  • Poor coordination
  • Hyperactive behavior
  • Learning disabilities
  • Developmental disabilities (speech and language delays)
  • Mental retardation or low IQ
  • Problems with daily living
  • Poor reasoning and judgment skills
  • Sleep and sucking disturbances in infancy

Remember, no one knows exactly how alcohol exposure may affect your baby. Some women who drink throughout their pregnancy seem to have perfectly normal children while other women who only drink a bit have children with a variety of disabilities and challenges.


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