What is a fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) screening?

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) is the term used to describe a group of conditions that can happen to a child whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, it passes through the placenta, the organ that nourishes an unborn baby in the uterus. There is no amount of alcohol that’s known to be safe to drink during pregnancy. If you are or think you may be pregnant, you should not drink alcohol. That includes hard liquor, beer, and wine. An unborn baby’s exposure to alcohol can lead to lifelong physical, emotional, and behavioral problems.

The term FASDs includes all of the following conditions:

• Alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD). This condition can affect organ development. People with ARBD may have problems with the function of their heart, kidneys, hearing, vision, and/or bones. They may also have other types of FASDs.
• Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (ND-PAE). People with this condition can have problems with mental health, memory, communication, impulse control, and skills of daily living.
• Alcohol-related Neurodevelopment Disorder (ARND). People with ARND have problems with the brain and nervous system. It can cause intellectual disabilities, and/or behavioral and learning problems.
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). This is the most severe type of FASD. It causes both birth defects and neurodevelopmental disorders.
• Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (pFAS). People with pFAS have some of the symptoms of an FASD. But the condition is not as severe as the other disorders.

Other names: fetal alcohol syndrome screening, fetal alcohol 4-digit diagnostic code