Paper Example: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a group of disorders or conditions that may occur in a child whose mother drank alcohol in the course of her pregnancy (Williams & Smith, 2015). The effects include physical and behavioral problems in addition to learning. In most cases, a child with the disorder exhibits a mix of these highlighted problems. This is because exposure to alcohol is believed to damage the brain and impair growth in an infant. In the majority of cases, the damage to an infant is irreversible. This paper will examine in detail what causes fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, its symptoms, and how teachers can support an affected child.

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Causes

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) only happens when a pregnant mother drinks alcohol. Like a lot of other drugs, alcohol passes from the maternal blood to that of the fetus through the placenta. Unlike in an adult, a fetus breaks down alcohol much more slowly. As a result, the levels of alcohol can stay very high in the fetus system long after the mother has ingested alcohol. These high levels of alcohol in the baby's system adversely affect its development and growth. As a result, no amount of alcohol is recommended during pregnancy. Light or moderate drinking can lead to a wide range of disorders in the baby's growth and development. According to Williams and Smith (2015), there is no safe amount of alcohol that a mother should take during pregnancy and there is no safe time in the development of the pregnancy either.

There are three types of FASDs depending on the symptoms that a child displays. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the most extreme outcome of drinking during pregnancy. At the extreme, the death of the fetus is likely to occur. It is characterized by problems in the central nervous system and abnormal facial features. The other type of FASD is Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND). It is characterized by problems in learning and behavior. Alcohol-Related Birth Defects (ARBD) is another type of FASD and is associated with problems hearing, bones, kidneys, and heart.

Symptoms

Some of the symptoms associated with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) include low body weight, small head, short height, poor memory, abnormal features especially a smooth ridge between the upper lip and the nose, difficulty maintaining attention, hyperactive behavior, various forms of learning disabilities, low IQ or intellectual disability, language and speech delays, hearing and vision problems, poor judgment and reasoning skills, and problems associated with bones, kidneys, and heart (Williams & Smith, 2015).

Teacher Support/Conclusion

As observed, apart from the medical problems associated with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), a child is likely to have problems in school due to the host of cognitive and behavioral problems brought about by this disorder. For example, it is very difficult for a child to learn when they have problems with their attention spans, hearing, seeing, communicating, memorizing, and poor coordination of their features.

When assisting, a teacher may need to simplify the learning process when helping a child with FASD in studying. This entails presenting learning information in a manner that is simple, brief, and clear to reduce the complexity of the information being learned. A teacher can also use visual materials because a child may be having problems with his or her memory. On top of this, an effective teacher can utilize compassion, humor, patience, and creativity to help the child enjoy learning.

Reference

Williams, J. F., & Smith, V. C. (2015). Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Pediatrics, 136(5), 1395-1406. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-3113