 
 
In this module
you will develop an understanding of;
the effects of alcohol
on the developing fetus, how these
alcohol
effects may impact learning and behaviour
and
certain relevant facts about alcohol and
prevention
of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder or
FASD. During the nine months of pregnancy
alcohol crosses the placenta freely
and causes damage
or injury to the developing cells.
Alcohol is a solvent. The molecules are extremely small
and can enter the developing cells and
change the growth
and migration of those cells, reduce the
number of pathways
or connectors and alter the
neurochemistry.
This image shows the brains of two
children who died.
The brain on the left is an extreme
example of a brain that was prenatally
exposed to alcohol.
It is smaller and has many gaps. The
neuro typical brain on the right
is larger but may also have been
prenatally exposed to alcohol. Sometimes
the lesions,
or gaps, caused by alcohol are so
small
that they do not show up through brain
imaging.
These gaps, or missing connections, may
cause difficulties
with learning, behaviour and overall
functioning.
Alcohol affects every brain differently
depending on the timing and the amount
of consumption
and other factors. Dr. Sandy Clarren
states each
student with FASD has a unique pattern of
strengths and weaknesses. Though they have,
by definition, neurological patterns of
deficit
based on their prenatal exposure to
alcohol
the specific ways these impairments are
demonstrated
on a day-to-day basis vary. There is no
specific defining characteristic of
students
with FASD such as a learning
disability
or a speech defect. Every brain is
different
and every brain has strengths. If we can't
see the brain
how might we know that there is
underlying neurological damage caused by
alcohol?
We see behaviours that reflect
the underlying brain differences. Dr. Ann Streissguth calls these
primary disabilities or behaviours 
that are the result of a permanent injury
to the brain.
A primary disability affects how
a student learns. This list includes many
of the primary disabilities.
In addition the student with FASD
may have physical and medical concerns.
However,
the student will have many strengths. In
order to enhance
success in school, the students planning
team
needs to develop an understanding of the
students strengths
and needs then build on the strengths
while making accommodations
for the needs of the individual student.
The multi-disciplinary assessment
process
is an important part of the planning.
Remember,
no two brains are affected the same. The
average
IQ for full FAS, or Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome,
is seventy-four. The IQ
range for full FAS is twenty
to one hundred and thirty. The average IQ
for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, or
FASD,
is ninety. However IQ scores
in the normal range are sometimes unreliable
and misleading indicators of ability
since many
with FASD are unable to perform at
levels
indicated by their scores. People who
have no
visible physical features and who have
average
IQ's may still have significant
differences
in brain function. As well, students with
FASD
may have on and off days so achieving
a true IQ score is difficult. Dr. Sterling Clarren states
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, or FASD,
is an equal opportunity disability.
FASD crosses all socio-economic
boundaries
and all races. For example, Russia
has a high prevalence of FASD due to the
amount of vodka consumed.
Some of the first medical studies of
FASD
occurred in the 1960s in France.
In Ireland two recent studies showed
that eighty-five percent and eighty-two
percent
of women drank during pregnancy. Wherever there is
alcohol there is risk of FASD.
A standard drink contains about fourteen
grams of pure
alcohol. Each of these drinks has the
same
amount of alcohol. Binge drinking causes an
increased risk to the fetus. Four to five
drinks
is considered a binge. There is no safe
amount to drink
and no safe time to drink during
pregnancy.
Although not all fetuses are impacted by
alcohol consumption
all fetuses are at risk. When a pregnant
woman drinks alcohol,
the blood levels in the mother and
placenta are approximately equal
within minutes after consumption. The
best practice
is, no alcohol during pregnancy.
A mother does not plan to deliberately
harm her child.
Some mothers drink without realizing
they are pregnant.
Dr. Christine Lock states that fifty per
cent of pregnancies are unplanned.
Fifty percent of women in North America
drink regularly.
We must not attach blame. We must educate
everyone about the effects of alcohol on
the developing fetus.
Exact rates of FASD are not known
and vary from community to community.
Health Canada
estimates that nine out of one thousand
are affected by FASD. In a 2009 study
Dr. Phillip May and colleagues state
the prevalence of FASD in populations of
younger schoolchildren maybe as high
as as two to five percent in the United States
and some Western European countries.
Although their brains are affected by
alcohol, students with FASD
have many strengths. Our job as educators
is to understand FASD, form relationships,
be proactive, build on strengths and
accommodate
primary disabilities.
