Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a collection of physical and mental birth defects that can occur when a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, such as beer, wine or mixed drinks, so does her baby. Alcohol passes through the placenta directly into the developing baby. As a result, the child may suffer permanent damage. FAS is characterized by brain damage, facial deformities and growth failure. Heart, liver and kidney defects are also common, as are vision and hearing problems. Individuals with FAS have difficulties with learning, attention, memory, and problem solving. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is an umbrella term that describes the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects may include physical, mental, behavioral and/or learning disabilities with possible lifelong implications. The term FASD is not intended to be used as a clinical diagnosis. FASD covers other terms such as: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) – the only diagnosis given by doctors. Alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND) – reserved for individuals with functional or cognitive disorders related to prenatal alcohol exposure, including decreased head size at birth, structural brain abnormalities, and a pattern of behavioral abnormalities and Mental Alcohol-Related Birth Defects (ARBD) – describes physical defects related to prenatal alcohol exposure, including heart, skeletal, kidney, ear, and eye malformations. Fetal Effects of Alcohol (FAE) - a term that has been commonly used to describe alcohol-exposed individuals whose conditions do not fully meet the criteria requirements for an FAS diagnosis. What are the statistics and facts about FAS and FASD? FASD is… middle of paper… mother drinks too much alcohol during pregnancy. A child born with FAS may be severely handicapped and require lifelong special care. Some children with alcohol-related birth defects, including smaller body size, lower birth weight and other disorders, do not have all the classic symptoms of FAS. These symptoms are sometimes referred to as fetal alcohol effects (FAE). Researchers do not all agree on the precise distinction between FAS and FAE cases. Cause of the problem: Alcohol in a pregnant woman's bloodstream travels to the fetus across the placenta. There, alcohol interferes with the fetus's ability to receive sufficient oxygen and nutrition for the normal development of cells in the brain and other organs of the body. Possible FAS symptoms: Growth deficiencies: reduced body size and weight, slower than normal development, and inability to catch on.