Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a disability that can occur in children, young people, and adults when alcohol is consumed during pregnancy.
“I had never heard of FASD, I am a 35-year-old account executive and I stopped drinking as soon as I found out I was pregnant. Having got the diagnosis for my son I was devastated by guilt, but he and I have both had a lot of help, support and understanding. I want others to have more information, FASD is not something for alcoholic mums to know about, it is something for everyone to understand.”
A baby develops throughout the entire 9 months of pregnancy. Alcohol can cross the placenta at any point during pregnancy and effect development. There is no safe time to drink alcohol whilst pregnant. A baby's liver cannot process alcohol in the same way an adult's can and so the alcohol stays in their system much longer. It is a lifelong, brain-based, and often invisible disability. It is called a spectrum disorder because there are many different symptoms so no two people with FASD are the same.
We understand that mothers do not set out to intentionally harm their unborn child but this can happen by mothers drinking alcohol before they knew they were pregnant or perhaps they didn’t know the possible harm that could be caused or perhaps it was a difficult time in their own life or they had an alcohol addiction. Not everybody exposed to alcohol during pregnancy will be effected.
The term Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) means a range of physical, emotional and developmental delays that may affect a person when they were exposed to alcohol during pregnancy. Each person diagnosed with FASD is affected in a different way. The difficulties depend on what part of the brain was ‘wiring-up’ when it was exposed to alcohol.
Research has shown that children and teenagers with FASD are usually developmentally younger than their peers.
Understanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Information for parents and carers.
FASD Hub Scotland is a tiered support service for all parents and carers of children and young people who have been affected - or may have been - by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE).
FASD Network booklet for young adults
ACAMH Podcast on FASD
Useful Websites
Highland Substance Awareness Toolkit
Support for professionals supporting children and young people with FASD
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Highland Substance Awareness Toolkit
Support for children and young people with FASD
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Me & My FASD
A website for young people with FASD
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Language Matters
A pdf document to download
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National Organisation for FASD People with FASD live lives of courage. With diagnosis and the support they deserve, they can shine. Things are changing in the UK but the risks of alcohol in pregnancy are still too little known. We encourage everyone to work together to reduce the rates of FASD and to increase awareness.
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National Organisation for FASD
Birth Mothers. It’s essential we look beyond stigma and blame when we talk about FASD.
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FAAST The Fetal Alcohol Advisory Support & Training Team (FAASTT) is funded by Scottish Government with a national remit to provide and facilitate training, consultation and research in order to enhance the capacity, knowledge and confidence of Scotland’s health and social care workforce in their work with those affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).
SIGN Guideline on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
Healthcare Improvement Scotland YouTube Video