We have always heard that drinking during pregnancy is harmful to the baby, but little has been said about the possible consequences. Nowadays fetal alcohol syndrome It is a phenomenon that, fortunately, is gaining more visibility for greater and early detection by professionals, and so that families can feel better cared for and guided in raising their children with this condition.
The so-called fetal alcohol syndrome, also known as FAS, was identified in 1973 by Kenneth Lyons Jones and David W. Smith. These researchers found a common pattern of facial and extremity features, cardiovascular defects associated with prenatal growth deficiencies and developmental delays (Jones et al 1973, p. 1267).
Among the common characteristics found, although not always as we will see later, there is a characteristic appearance: short height, low weight, small head, poor coordination, low IQ, behavioral problems and deafness or visual impairment. The face of these children has a somewhat greater separation between the eyes than that of the rest of the children, and perhaps as the most characteristic feature, the nasolabial fold is smooth.
How to identify fetal alcohol syndrome?
The reasons why parents seek advice for fetal alcohol syndrome are mainly the following:
Can a baby suffer from FAS whenever he drinks alcohol?
Not all, but some of the chronic alcoholic women can have children who at birth suffer from the so-called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), the maximum degree of affectation in the spectrum of alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). It is a pathology present at birth that consists of a set of malformations in the development of the cerebral cortex They may appear on brain scans as a normal brain image, as they are sometimes subtle.
Due to its difficulty in learning due to damage to the systems involved in the correct functioning of memory, these children have a hard time learning and therefore, they can carry out disruptive or illegal behaviors that lead them to commit crimes, not because of excessive aggressiveness, but because of a lack of distinction between what is right or wrong, carrying out inappropriate behaviors and with the danger of being very influenced by others.
These boys and girls also show a statistical tendency to engage in risky sexual activities, and are more vulnerable to drug addiction.
It is common for them to have difficulties in their studies, to be involved in problems with the police and even to spend time in boarding schools or juvenile centers, potentially ending up in jail and families in debt to pay bail or penalties.
Types of SAF
Currently we can distinguish 4 classifications within FASD.
1. SAF
This category includes cases with or without a confirmed history of fetal alcohol exposure
2. Partial SAF
It occurs with or without a confirmed history of fetal alcohol exposure.
4. Alcohol Related Birth Defects (ARBD)
Presence of physical anomalies and other organic malformations related to alcohol that require confirmation of prenatal alcohol exposure (by mother’s statement or by laboratory analysis).
There is no presence of physical anomalies or growth delay. Requires confirmation of prenatal exposure to alcohol (by mother’s statement or by laboratory analysis).
Difficulty in diagnosis
Many of the children who present FAS are adopted children, especially according to recent data from Russia and Ukraine. However, for parents who are not adopters, there is a stigma and at the same time a certain prejudice on the part of the professional who must ask the serious question about alcohol consumption during pregnancy, there is even talk of a classist syndrome typical of parents from from a disadvantaged or marginal social level.
In recent years, adoption associations and public organizations have begun to provide information and training on the possibility that adopted children may present FAS, especially if they come from high-risk countries such as those mentioned. achieving a certain psychological preparation for adoptive parents and that they can know that this possibility exists.
Most parents come to us for consultation after a long pilgrimage and several diagnoses. Recently things are improving since, in Barcelona, the Vall d’Hebron and the Joan de Déu Hospital are doing great research work where they have units of professionals specialized in the diagnosis and investigation of APS.
The common definition would be a difficult child, who has difficulty concentrating and maintaining attention, often diagnosed with attention deficit with or without hyperactivity, ADHD. However, children with ADHD tend to have better day-to-day care habits, greater social skills, and have more problems with sustained attention, while in FASD more problems with divided attention occur.
We can also find children who have been diagnosed with ASD, autism spectrum disorder. However, unlike ASD, children with FAS do not present echolalia, stereotypies, there is social desire and they clearly express a wide range of emotions, although it is true that they have difficulty regulating them, especially in intensity, and they have difficulties in matters related to the theory of mind. Described by the psychologist and anthropologist Gregory Bateson, the theory of mind is defined as the “ability to reflect and understand one’s own and others’ sensations” normally acquired between the ages of 3-4 (Pozo JI, 1998).
