Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

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Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disorder that is caused by prenatal alcohol exposure, and it can vary in its degrees of severity. Different influences, such as a mother’s socioeconomic status and diet, can influence whether or not a child is born with FASD, and it is important to look at the causes of FASD so that an attempt can be made to prevent it from occurring. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder includes many different symptoms and consequences, which differ in levels of severity; these symptoms are physical, behavioral, and mental and have an effect on the child’s growth throughout his or her life. While there is not a specific treatment that is prescribed for a diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, other medications …show more content…
Because of medical advances and education among mothers expecting a child, many women know the dangers of consuming alcohol, other than in small amounts, and avoid the substance altogether. However, due to a lack of education among lower socioeconomic classes or a lack of concern for the unborn child, some expecting mothers continue to drink in moderate or excessive amounts, thus leading to their child to be born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). FASD is a broader diagnosis that encompasses three different, more specific diagnoses: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (pFAS), and Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND) (Proven, Ens, & Beaudin 2014). By using a broader term, such as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum …show more content…
Permissive factors are those that increase a mother’s vulnerability to the negative effects of alcohol, such as use of other addictive drugs, stress, or lower socioeconomic class. Provocative factors, on the other hand, are the factors that increase the fetus’s susceptibility to the negative effects of alcohol, including hypoxia, and malnutrition (Esper & Erikson, 2014). All of these factors play a large role in determining whether or not a child will be born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and suffer from the different symptoms that

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