Born Addicted to Alcohol

There are different characteristics that accompany FAS in

the different stages of a child's life. "At birth, infants

with intrauterine exposure to alcohol frequently have low

birth rate; pre-term delivery; a small head circumference;

and the characteri stic facial features of the eyes, nose,

and mouth" (Phelps, 1995, p. 204). Some of the facial

abnormalities that are common of children with FAS are:

microcephaly, small eye openings, broad nasal bridge,

flattened mid-faces, thin upper lip, skin folds at the

corners of the eyes, indistinct groove on the upper lip,

and an abnormal smallness of the lower jaw (Wekselman,

Spiering, Hetteberg, Kenner, & Flandermeyer, 1995; Phelps,

1995). These infants also display developmental delays,

psychomotor retardatio n, and cognitive deficits.

As a child with FAS progresses into preschool physical,

cognitive and behavioral abnormalities are more noticeable.

These children are not the average weight and height

compared to the children at the same age level. Cognitive

manifestations is another problem with children who have

FAS. "Studies have found that preschoolers with FAS

generally score in the mentally handicapped to dull normal

range of intelligence" (Phelps, 1995, p. 205). Children

with FAS usually h ave language delay problems during their

preschool years. Research has also shown that these

children exhibit poorly articulated language, delayed use

of sentences or more complex grammatical units, and

inadequate comprehension (Phelps, 1995). There are many

behavioral characteristics that are common among children

with FAS. The most common characteristic is hyperactivity

(Phelps, 1995). "Hyperactivity is found in 85% of

FAS-affected children regardless of IQ" (Wekeselman et al.,

1995, p. 299 ). School failure, behavior management

difficulties, and safety issues are some of the problems

associated with hyperactivity and attention deficit

disorder. Another behavioral abnormality of with children

with FAS, is social problems. "Specific diffic ulties

included inability to respect personal...