About FASD in Our Community

Compassion, Curiosity, Complexity

What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder?

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are a spectrum of diagnosable conditions, ranging from the most serious Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), with a range of health conditions such as heart defects and visual and hearing impairments, to the often “hidden” lifelong neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders due to prenatal alcohol exposure. These can cause more subtle issues such as sensory sensitivities and other functional, social, memory, and communication impairments.

The effects of an FASD, especially when unidentified, significantly increase:

  • School, behavioral, and learning challenges
  • The likelihood of mental and health and substance use disorders
  • Involvement in public safety and our court systems
  • Vulnerability in unsafe situations and with unsafe people

A person with an FASD may:

Not know about FASD-some effects of alcohol exposure in utero are not immediately diagnosed, or even observable. Long-term neurological effects may only be noticed later on in life.

Struggle with Memory-memory is a common issue for people on the spectrum of fetal alcohol disorders. Other issues can include impulsivity, difficulty understanding directions, or reading social cues. These issues, if not properly supported, can compound and create more complex problems.

Need Extra Social Supports-people with brain-based neurodevelopmental disabilities might not have existing supports or services in place. There may be a need for special advocacy for supports that are RIGHT for each person, and can last throughout the lifespan.

Benefit from Strengths-Based Approaches-people with an FASD can have unique brains, and that can come in a lot of wonderful forms. Exploring all kinds of strengths, such as creative expression, can be an important focus in informed-approaches and the development of the right supports. Remember, neurodiversity IS diversity!

Alcohol is complicated. Pregnancy is too.

In Hawai’i, just like so many places around the world, alcohol is socially acceptable and legal for adult use.  Alcohol has effects on the entire body for anyone who consumes it, and it isn’t safe at any time, in any amount, during pregnancy.

Because about half of pregnancies in Hawai’i are unplanned, and more than half of child-bearing age women drink pregnancy, the issue is not clear cut.  People consume alcohol for any number of reasons, and simply telling women to “stop” is neither a compassionate nor comprehensive approach.  

FASD is a condition that is not going to just go away. There are unique considerations for each individual and their families. Pregnant, birthing, and parenting people are not the only ones this issue should matter to. Alcohol use and its effects are highly complicated, and in Hawaiʻi we care about everyone in our communities…we don’t leave anyone behind.

How to support each other:

No one drinks to harm their child. Let’s be kind to ourselves and each other and focus on both prevention efforts and supporting special needs. Blame and shame don’t help us move forward.

FASD informed-approaches and interventions can be tried even before a formal diagnosis is made. It’s okay to wonder about how to help. Asking curious and kind questions is a good way to learn.

Many of our social, education, and public health systems in Hawaiʻi are just learning about prevalence and how complex FASD is. It will take time and a community effort to involve all the right people and systems.

ADVOCACY

If you are a provider, a parent, a loved one, a person living with an FASD, or a kind and curious advocate, keep seeking information and support. All voices are needed to improve outcomes for everyone!

Tell a friend, talk to your doctor, ask a teacher or a social worker, call your legislator…EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW.

Let’s learn together!

FASD is a kākou thing.

I just found out I am pregnant. I have stopped drinking now, but I was drinking in the first few weeks of my pregnancy, before I knew I was pregnant. What should I do now?

The most important thing is that you have completely stopped drinking after learning of your pregnancy. It is never too late to stop drinking. Because brain growth takes place throughout pregnancy, the sooner you stop drinking the safer it will be for you and your baby.

If you drank any amount of alcohol while you were pregnant, talk with your child’s health care provider as soon as possible and share your concerns. Make sure you get regular prenatal checkups.

What is a “drink”? What if I drink only beer or wine coolers?

Drinking any type of alcohol can affect your baby’s growth and development and cause FASDs. This includes all wines, beer, and mixed drinks. A standard drink is defined as .60 ounces of pure alcohol. This is equivalent to one 12-ounce beer or wine cooler, one 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80 proof distilled spirits (hard liquor). Some drinks, like mixed alcoholic drinks or malt liquor drinks, might have more alcohol in them than a 12-ounce beer. There is no safe kind of alcohol. If you have any questions about your alcohol use and its risks to your health, talk to your health care provider. You can also visit CDC’s website on alcohol.

Go to the Information for Women page for a picture of the types of standard-sized drinks and the amount of alcohol they contain.

Is it okay to drink a little or at certain times during pregnancy?

There is no known safe amount of alcohol use during your pregnancy or when you are trying to get pregnant. There is also no safe time to drink when you are pregnant. Alcohol can cause problems for your developing baby throughout your pregnancy, including before you know you are pregnant.

FASDs are preventable if a woman does not drink alcohol during pregnancy.

I drank wine during my last pregnancy and my baby turned out fine. Why shouldn’t I drink again during this pregnancy?

Every pregnancy is different. Drinking alcohol might affect one baby more than another. You could have one child who is born healthy and another child who is born with problems.

If I drank when I was pregnant, does that mean my baby will have an FASD?

If you drank any amount of alcohol while you were pregnant, talk with your child’s health care provider as soon as possible and share your concerns.

You may not know right away if your child has been affected. FASDs include a range of physical and intellectual disabilities that are not always easy to identify when a child is a newborn. Some of these effects may not be known until your child is in school.

There is no cure for FASDs. However, identifying and intervening with children with these conditions as early as possible can help them to reach their full potential.

Is it okay to drink alcohol if I am trying to get pregnant?

You might be pregnant and not know it yet. You probably won’t know you are pregnant for up to 4 to 6 weeks. This means you might be drinking and exposing your baby to alcohol without meaning to.

Alcohol use during pregnancy can also lead to miscarriage and stillbirth.

The best advice is to stop drinking alcohol when you start trying to get pregnant.

Can a father’s drinking cause harm to the baby?

How alcohol affects the male sperm is currently being studied. Whatever the effects are found to be, they are not fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). FASDs are caused specifically by the mother’s alcohol use during pregnancy.

However, the father’s role is important. He can help the woman avoid drinking alcohol during pregnancy. He can encourage her to abstain from alcohol by avoiding social situations that involve drinking. He can also help her by avoiding alcohol himself.