Kansas FASD Support Network, Inc

EDUCATION

There are many resources for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Here are some facts:

​

• No amount of alcohol use is known to be safe for a developing baby before birth. (American Academy of Pediatrics. AAP Says No Amount of Alcohol Should Be Considered Safe During Pregnancy. https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/AAP-Says-No-Amount-of-Alcohol-Should-be-Considered-Safe- During-Pregnancy.aspx)

​

• Globally, more than 1,700 infants are born with an FASD each day. (Lange S, Probst C, Gmel G, Rehm J, Burd L, Popova S. Global prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder among children and youth: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatr. 2017;171(10):948-956.)

​

• FASD is a brain-based permanent disability that has wide ranging effects. Prenatal alcohol exposure may result in cognitive deficits related to executive function, learning attention, language, memory, and visual spatial reasoning. (Subramoney S, Eastman E, Adnams C, Stein DJ, Donald KA. The Early Developmental Outcomes of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: A Review. Frontiers in Neurology. 2018; 9(1108).)

​

• The rates of FASDs are estimated to be nearly 1 in 20 U.S. school children. (May et al. Prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in 4 US Communities. JAMA. 2018;319(5):474-482.)

​

• FASD-related disorders last a lifetime.​

​

• Prenatal alcohol exposure is the leading preventable cause of birth defects in the United States. (Williams JF, Smith VC. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Pediatrics. 2015;136(5):e1395-406.)

​

​But, have hope! Thinking back to where we were at the outset of our journey, the following are a launchpad as you begin to learn about FASD.