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About FASD
What is FASD?www.forbiddenvideo.sex
How often does it occur?
How does it happen?
How can we prevent it?
What are the signs?
Physical Signs
Behavioural Signs
Cognitive Signs
Primary Disabilities
Secondary Disabilities
What is FASD?
FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) is the term used when a person has learning, behavioural and physical characteristics associated with exposure to alcohol in the womb. FASD present challenges and abilities that vary from person to person.
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How does it happen?
FASD is caused when babies are exposed to alcohol while in the womb. Alcohol passes through the placenta and can damage the baby at any time during pregnancy. Baby's brain develops during all the stages of pregnancy, therefore there is a high risk of a baby being born with FASD with regular drinking throughout the pregnancy. There is also a high risk of babies being born with FASD with binge drinking.
There are no safe limits or times for alcohol use during pregnancy.
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How can we prevent it?
FASD is 100% preventable. Prevention is not just a women's issue. Women's partners, families and communities need to provide support that promotes healthy choices. Young people need education about FASD before they become sexually active.
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What are the signs?
Physical Signs:
FASD is frequently unseen, yet always experienced and FASD facial features can be less noticeable by adolescence and adulthood.
- Low Birth Weight
- Decelerating weight over time
- Height and weight below the 10th percentile
- Small eye openings
- Flat mid face (cheek bones)
- Flattened groove between nose and upper lip
- Noticeable difference in shape or placement of ears
- Thin upper lip
- Small head circumference
- Very short neck
- Difference in sensory awareness
- Hypersensitivity to touch / light
- Joint and bone abnormalities
- Hearing problems
- Immune system problems (frequent illness, ear / throat / chest infections)
- High pain tolerance
- Allergies, asthma
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Behavioural Signs:
- Easily over-stimulated
- Disorganized
- Hyperactivity
- Impulsive
- Lack of inhibition
- Difficulty with transitions
- Fearless
- Unresponsive to verbal cautions
- Truancy problems
- Stubborn
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Cognitive Signs:
- Memory Problems - short term
- Difficulty storing and retrieving information
- Inconsistent performance - "on and off days"
- Can repeat instructions but difficult to put into action
- Difficulties with abstract concepts such as time, money and math
- Auditory difference - may only understand every third word of conversations
- Inability to predict outcomes
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Primary Disabilities:
Primary disabilities are those that a person is born with that are directly due to prenatal exposure to alcohol. Some examples may include problems with:
- Memory
- Attention
- Processing Information
- Hyper / hypo activity
- Spatial and sequential difficulties
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Secondary Disabilities:
As young people living with FAS reach adolescence and begin to encounter more complex situations and expectations, they may also begin to experience secondary disabilities such as:
- Problems completing school
- Trouble with the law
- Mental Health Issues
- Engaging in high risk behaviours
- Employment difficulties
- Living Independently
Persons living with FAS are NOT born with secondary disabilities. Building strong supports early on will help reduce the likelihood of secondary disabilities.
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