Alcohol, Pregnancy Add Up to Tragedy
The term fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) refers to the most severe permanent effects of a child's exposure to alcohol while in the mother's womb, including mental retardation, abnormal physical appearance and behavior, and extreme limitation of normal lifetime capabilities. Less extreme effects of fetal alcohol exposure may include permanent brain damage plus lifelong behavioral, educational and socialization problems; these are referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. (FASD)