Alcohol use during pregnancy is the leading known preventable cause of mental retardation and birth defects. At least 15% of women do not know that drinking alcohol during pregnancy is dangerous.

Both nationally and in Connecticut, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders affect 1 in 100 live births

In CT, approximately 30,376 individuals are suspected of having FASD.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders is the umbrella term used to describe the range (or spectrum) of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank during pregnancy.

What are the effects of FASD:

• Specific facial characteristics                
• Growth deficits
• Mental Retardation
• Heart, lung, and kidney defects
• Hyperactivity and behavior problems
• Attention and memory problem
• Poor coordination and motor skills delays
• Difficulty with judgment and reasoning
• Learning disabilities

About 80% of children with FASD are not raised by their biological mothers. In Connecticut, over 6800 children are under the care of DCF. It is estimated that almost 70% of children in foster care are affected by prenatal alcohol exposure.

Over 1100 children and youth in CT, under the care of DCF, are in residential care. The annual cost of residential care for one child with FASD is approximately $50,000. This cost can TRIPLE if the residential placement includes psychiatric or state-run facilities.

The estimated annual cost of all individuals in Connecticut with FASD is over $65 million dollars ($65,731,781.).

Secondary disabilities: these are disabilities that a person is not born with but acquires over their lifetime. Most secondary disabilities are preventable with early intervention, appropriate treatment and support. These disabilities include:

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  • Mental Health Issues
  • School Failure
  • Trouble with the Law
  • Homelessness
  • Joblessness

Individuals with FASD may need support and supervision for all of their lives.

Undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, co-morbid diagnoses:

• Only about one third of children affected by prenatal alcohol exposure will receive a correct diagnosis. Many will not receive a diagnosis at all, and will suffer from Secondary Disabilities due to their inability to meet the high expectations placed on them by their families, schools, employers, and society.  Most will be given a mental health diagnosis--------common diagnoses these children receive are:
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    •  
      • ADHD---Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
      • ODD----Oppositional Defiant Disorder
      • Mood Disorders----Bipolar Disorder, Depression
      • PDD---Pervasive Developmental Disorders (includes PDD-NOS, Asperger’s Syndrome, Autism)
      • Impulse Control Disorder
      • Intermittent Explosive Disorder
      • Disruptive Behavior Disorder
      • Learning Disabilities----often Complex Learning Disabilities, as well as Mixed Receptive/Expressive Language Disorders

FASD is not just a childhood disorder. Prenatal exposure to alcohol can cause a wide range of lifelong physical and mental disabilities. Alcohol is a toxin (poison) to the developing fetal brain and causes permanent changes in brain structure and function. While many people with FASD appear “normal”, they carry the invisible disability of permanent brain damage with them throughout their lives. With early identification, appropriate interventions and supports, they can live productive, fulfilling lives.

NOFAS Connecticut, 23 Cemetery Road, Willington, CT  06279

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