Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the name for a group of physical and mental birth defects that are the direct result of a woman’s drinking alcohol during pregnancy. An fetal alcohol syndrome child can be mentally retarded or have reduced mental abilities, growth deficiencies, central nervous system dysfunction, abnormally shaped heads and faces, and behavioral problems. Fetal alcohol effect (FAE) is a less severe set of the same symptoms. More than five thousand children are born in the United States each year with fetal alcohol syndrome, the most common nonhereditary form of mental retardation.

First identified in France in 1968, it was not until several years later that U.S. researchers began to study fetal alcohol syndrome. Up until then, it was not known that pregnant women could injure a fetus by drinking, and pregnant women were often advised to have a glass of wine or a drink to relax them or help them sleep. But researchers now believe that even moderate drinking can create permanent disabilities, and doctors advise pregnant women to abstain from alcohol.

The birth defects fetal alcohol syndrome creates can ruin the lives of its victims and their parents. Nasdijj was born with fetal alcohol syndrome. He states, “My mother was a Navajo drunk. I cannot recall her ever being sober.” When Nasdijj married, he and his wife adopted an infant boy who, unknown to them, suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome. The boy, named Tommy Nothing Fancy, died at age six from fetal alcohol syndrome complications. Nasdijj still struggles with the birth defect:

I have fetal alcohol syndrome. Not as badly as Tommy Nothing Fancy had it. My version of the disease manifests itself in some rather severe learning disabilities. All my craziness, my inability to deal with authority, my perceptual malfunctions, my upside-down imagery (I can read entire books upside down), my rage, comes from fetal alcohol syndrome. I have never held a real job for more than a year in my life. Reading and writing are complete tortures for me, so I could understand how it was torture for my son.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

The National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS) works to educate the public about this alcohol-related birth defect. The following is information on the syndrome from the group’s website.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a series of mental and physical birth defects that can include mental retardation, growth deficiencies, central nervous system dysfunction, craniofacial abnormalities and behavioral maladjustments. Fetal Alcohol Effect is a less severe set of the same symptoms. If you drink wine, beer, or liquor when you are pregnant, your baby could develop fetal alcohol syndrome. A baby with fetal alcohol syndrome [will have] disabilities that will last a lifetime. No amount of alcohol has been proven safe to consume during pregnancy. fetal alcohol syndrome and FAE (Fetal Alcohol Effects) are 100% preventable when a pregnant woman abstains from alcohol. At least 5,000 infants are born each year with fetal alcohol syndrome, or approximately one out of every 750 live births. Thirty to forty percent of babies whose mothers drink heavily throughout pregnancy have the Syndrome. fetal alcohol syndrome/FAE is a problem found in all races and socio-economic groups. fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol effect are widely under diagnosed. Some experts believe between one-third and two-thirds of all children in special education have been affected by alcohol in some way. The institutional and medical costs for one child with fetal alcohol syndrome are $1.4 million over a lifetime. Is there a cure for fetal alcohol syndrome? There is no cure for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Once the damage is done, it cannot be undone. However, fetal alcohol syndrome is the only cause of birth defects that can be completely prevented. How can fetal alcohol syndrome be prevented? The easiest way for a woman to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome is to not drink during pregnancy.