Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome or FAS is something that the social worker advised me to spend some time researching and considering when she left us a reading list. Prior to this I had not come accross this or had any understanding. I would say that I am not a medical professional so this is my interpretation of the research I have done, I would always advocate seeking professional advice if necessary.

Anyway, as I understand it FAS is caused by the mother consuming alcohol during the early stages of pregnacy - early enough stages to cause distribution to the formation of facial features but this condition also has other psychological effects including:
behavioural problems
learning disabilities
Attention deficit disorders
And it seems to affect a large number of babies born - 1 in 1000 seems to be the most common figure quoted. What also really bothers me the more I read about this condition is the constant reminder that it is 100% avoidable - all it would have taken would have been better choices made by the mother during her pregnancy. But there are also a large number of children who don't have the full blown syndrome but do suffer from the after effects of alcohol during pregnancy with lesser, but till very serious, problems.

This paragraph, taken from http://www.fasaware.co.uk/ speaks volumes to me about the basics of this condition and how it can be overcome.

Children with FASD have permanent

brain damage, which can cause them to

have a hard time learning and remembering

new things, understanding that

actions have consequences, or making

the switch from one activity to another.

The key to helping your child overcome

these challenges is to reduce the likelihood

that they will occur by maintaining

a well-structured, consistent home

environment.

There is a lot of material out there to be found, digested and understood before we can decide finally whether we could offer a loving, supportive and safe enviroment for a child with this condition of any degree but I would like to say that we could offer a wonderful life to any child that is deemed as suitable to be placed with us and if that includes a child with any level of FAS then so be it.