How is fetal alcohol spectrum diagnosed?

Diagnosing FASD can be hard because there is no medical test, like a blood test, for it. The health care provider will make a diagnosis by looking at the child’s signs and symptoms and asking whether the mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. FASDs last a lifetime. There is no cure for FASDs, but treatments can help.

Can doctors detect fetal alcohol syndrome?

Although doctors can’t diagnose fetal alcohol syndrome before a baby is born, they can assess the health of the mother and baby during pregnancy. Watches for signs and symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome in your child’s initial weeks, months and years of life.

When is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Detected?

Physical and Neurological Features and Characteristics. In the most severely affected children, FAS can be diagnosed at birth, however, the characteristic physical features are most pronounced between eight months and eight years of age.

Can you detect FAS in an ultrasound?

There’s no test that’s used to diagnose fetal alcohol syndrome while you’re pregnant — for example, FAS can’t be detected with an ultrasound or blood test — so doctors typically make FASDs diagnoses after the child is born by looking for certain facial features, such as a smooth area of skin between the nose and upper …

What is FAS facial features?

Characteristic facial features in a child with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Findings may include a smooth philtrum, thin upper lip, upturned nose, flat nasal bridge and midface, epicanthal folds, small palpebral fissures, and small head circumference.

What are three mental side effects of fetal alcohol syndrome?

Mental Health Problems

  • Attention problems, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • Conduct disorder (aggression toward others and serious violations of rules, laws, and social norms)
  • Alcohol or drug dependence.
  • Depression.
  • Anxiety.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEFalLp782g