Research Paper: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Steve Radabaugh
Psychology 207 Professor D. Collins
18 April 2002
Fetal alcohol syndrome is a disorder characterized by “growth retardation, facial abnormalities, and central nervous system dysfunctions”(Stratton 12). Fetal alcohol syndrome is caused by a woman’s use of alcohol during pregnancy. Fetal alcohol syndrome is a difficult thing to deal with. There are many ways child and adolescence development are effected by the syndrome. Fetal alcohol syndrome effects a child physically, psychologically, and their education.
Fetal alcohol syndrome is the leading known cause of mental retardation in western civilization. It is present in all cultures, and socioeconomic settings. Raising a child with FAS can be very expensive. It is estimated that the parents of a FAS child will spend approximately two million dollars over the child’s lifetime. It is also estimated that taxpayers spend 1.9 billion dollars annually to treat children and adults diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome (68).
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy increases the chances that a child will be born with defects. Some defects that generally occur are a cleft lip, cleft palate, vision disorders, ear and nose defects, limb and joint problems, and central nervous system dysfunctions. A cleft lip is a defect that occurs in the fourth to sixth week after gestation (Abel, 90). It is an opening in the lip between the mouth and nose. The opening results when parts of the upper lip do not fuse together. There are different types of cleft lips, varying in extremes between a slight notch in the outer lip, to a complete separation on either the right or left side of the face, a unilateral cleft. A bilateral cleft occurs when there is a cleft on both sides of the face. A cleft palate is a defect that occurs in the eighth to twelfth week of life. A cleft palate is a hole in the roof of the mouth. It occurs when the palates on both sides of the roof of the mouth fail to fuse with each other, the nasal septum, or with the primary palate. Some cases of cleft palates only involve a notch in the soft palate. More extreme cases occur when the space extends through both the soft and hard palates of the roof of the mouth (90). Visual disorders are a variety of disorders that can result from alcohol exposure to the fetus. The cornea can become abnormally large, and prominent. The iris of the eye can have defects ranging from thinning to the formation of holes. The eyes of a FAS baby themselves are often widely spaced apart, placed back far in the head, or protrude outward (92). Ear defects occur when the ears can be either underdeveloped or overdeveloped. These defects do not cause immediate physical harm to the child, but they can result in psychological problems such as social isolation. Problems with the nose occur when one side or the entire nose fails to develop (92). The limbs and joints are also affected in a fetal alcohol syndrome baby. Abnormal skeletal development is a common feature of prenatal exposure to alcohol. It has been associated with the decreased bone ossification and volume that results from alcohol induced bone calcium loss. Skeletal deformities also include deformed ribs and sternum, curved spine, hip dislocation, and malformed fingers and toes (96). The central nervous system is also affected by fetal alcohol syndrome. Deficiencies in the central nervous system can be brought about in a variety of ways. Tremors are more frequent and intense, lasting for longer periods than in unaffected infants. Other behaviors indicating that the infant’s central nervous system is malformed include recurring jitteriness, and irritability. Also, problems with sleep are very common. Infants are restless and wake often while sleeping. At birth, the infant is disconnected from the alcohol supply that was present in the womb. As a result, the child suffers from withdrawal symptoms similar to those of adults. These symptoms persist long after childbirth. Specific movements, such as finger control, are significantly restricted. Furthermore, many children display poor muscle tone and possess limited hand-eye coordination (94).
