FASD stands for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. It is a lifelong disability that affects the brain and body of people who were exposed to alcohol in the womb. Each person with FASD has both strengths and challenges and will need special supports to help them succeed with many different parts of their daily lives.

A standard definition of FASD in Canada was released in 2019. CanFASD recommends that researchers, policy makers, and service providers use this definition when talking about FASD.

FAS stands for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The term FAS was first used in 1973 to describe a specific set of birth defects that were caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. In Canada, we now use the term Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder or FASD to describe the range of impacts that can occur in the brain and body of individuals prenatally exposed to alcohol. FASD is more inclusive of the true range of strengths and challenges that can occur from prenatal alcohol exposure, where FAS only captures a small portion of these impacts.

FASD is a spectrum disorder, so it affects people in different ways. This means that each person with FASD will have their own unique strengths and challenges.

Individuals with FASD are known for having a number of different strengths, including being friendly, likeable, affectionate, determined, hard-working, forgiving, non-judgemental and caring. They also may experience challenges with learning, memory, attention, language, social skills, motor skills, reasoning and judgement, behaviour, and/or academic achievement and they will need specialized supports to help them succeed in these areas.

In everyday life, these challenges may look like:

• being impulsive
• not understanding consequences
• being unfocused and easily distracted
• difficulties keeping up with classroom learning
• challenges handling money
• challenges learning how to tell time
• forgetting how to do something they’ve done before
• having trouble staying organized and planning ahead

Each individual will experience different challenges, and their challenges may differ depending on where they are in their life. The signs and symptoms of FASD can overlap with a number of different developmental disorders, which can make diagnosing FASD very difficult.

Early recognition and diagnosis are key to getting effective supports to improve outcomes for individuals with FASD.

FASD is a lifelong disorder. There is no cure, but early and appropriate supports can make a positive impact and improve outcomes for individuals with FASD.

You cannot tell if someone has FASD from looking at them. There are also no specific medical tests, like a blood test, that can tell us. In order to determine if someone has FASD they must be diagnosed by a multidisciplinary team of experts.

In a very small percentage of cases (<10%), individuals with FASD will have visible facial differences. However, these facial differences are relatively rare and have little to no impact on day to day function. They are not an indication of the degree of challenges someone may face.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is caused by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). People who are not exposed to alcohol during fetal development will not have FASD.

Yes, FASD is preventable. People can only get FASD if they are exposed to alcohol during fetal development. However, FASD prevention is very complicated . There are a number of reasons someone may drink alcohol during pregnancy, including being unaware they are pregnant, having substance use challenges, experiencing abuse or trauma, and not knowing the impact alcohol can have on pregnancy. In order to prevent FASD, we have to consider all of these factors that influence alcohol consumption and we have to provide support for women and girls to overcome these barriers to healthy pregnancies.

When we say “FASD is 100% preventable” we are oversimplifying an extremely complex issue. This statement has the potential to negatively impact prevention efforts by creating stigma that pregnant women who use substances have to overcome. When we talk about FASD prevention we have to be very cautious and use language that doesn’t promote stigma or harm.

There is no known safe amount, type, or time to consume alcohol during pregnancy. Experts agree that the safest option is not to drink alcohol if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to conceive.

If you are concerned that you or a member of your family has FASD, you should talk to your health care provider about getting a referral to a number of different diagnostic clinics across Canada. The assessment process involves meeting with a diagnostic team made up of several different professionals, including a paediatrician, psychologist, speech language pathologist, social worker, occupational therapist, and clinic coordinator.

Follow this link to learn more about the diagnostic process.

The diagnostic process for individuals with FASD can start at any age, but FASD diagnosis is complicated. Signs and symptoms are difficult to recognize in newborns, infants and young children, so FASD is often not diagnosed until individuals are in school or have reached their teen years.

A father’s drinking habits can make a fetus more vulnerable to Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE) and can contribute to FASD. Fathers can have an important influence on mothers’ drinking habits and the healthy development of their babies.  Alcohol consumption in fathers has been associated with:

• Higher levels of alcohol consumption in mothers during pregnancy
• Babies born earlier and weighing less
• Lower success rates in assisted reproductive treatments, like in vitro fertilization (IVF) and gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT)
• Higher rates of malformations and abnormal brain development in infants

We recommend that both fathers and mothers stop drinking alcohol if they are trying to get pregnant or are planning to become pregnant."

FASD is a diagnostic term that refers to alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Children of women who use substances other than alcohol during pregnancy will not get FASD. However, using other substances during pregnancy can result in adverse developmental outcomes. If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, the safest option is not to use any substances. Talk to your doctor or healthcare provider if you have used substances during pregnancy.

FASD is still a relatively new field, and our knowledge and understanding of this disability is rapidly growing and changing. Research is an important step to building a complete understanding of FASD. Research helps us develop evidence-informed, effective supports, services, and policies that can help lessen the impact of FASD on individuals, families, and communities.

In order to develop effective research, we need to ensure the voices of all impacted parties are included. That is why CanFASD has built a network of stakeholders from across Canada who can help to inform our research at every step of the way.