10 Things About FASD #3 Most the Time FASD is Invisible

Day 17

It is estimated that only 1 in 10 kids with an FASD will have full Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

In our Parenting FASD Group the parents who have children with the invisible signs of prenatal alcohol exposure struggle with getting diagnosis and help for their children who were prenatally exposed.  Often times parents struggle with knowing that their child has an FASD and will find many closed doors to diagnosis.

The children with full Fetal Alcohol are often diagnosed much younger and have the classic FAS features and growth failure.  With that they get more earlier intervention and understanding.

In Fetal Alcohol Syndrome the diagnosis is made by looking for the visible signs:

Abnormal facial features.
A person with FAS has 3 distinct facial features:

1. a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip (smooth philtrum),
2. a thin upper lip
3. a short distance between the inner and outer corners of the eyes making the eyes look wide spaced.

Growth problems:

• Children with FAS are at or below the 10th percentile for height and/or weight.
  Some children with FAS can outgrow their growth failure later in childhood
• Central Nervous System Disorders
• Requires confirmation of prenatal alcohol exposure.

To get an FAS diagnosis the child needs to have all three of the above.

To learn more about diagnosis in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

For the MAJORITY of the kids with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders you cannot tell by looking at them and even professionals struggle with diagnosis.

Learn more about FASD Identification at Nofas.org

From Nofas

“Although it has been over 40 years since the harmful effects of prenatal alcohol exposure were identified in medical literature, the majority of individuals with FASD—of any age—are not properly diagnosed.”

Those with most FASD’s are often times diagnosed with any of the little d’s of the Alphabet Soup instead.

Anny