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Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Analysis

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The topic that will be discussed in this paper is fetal alcohol syndrome. This topic was chosen because I work closely with parents that expose their children to substance abuse before birth. Alcohol is one of those substances unfortunately that parents are exposing their children too. This is a major phenomenon in today’s society and is a relevant issue for many social workers. As a social worker I can use the science behind fetal alcohol syndrome to educate and inform my clients to make better decisions. This education can allow my client’s to live healthy life styles and became aware of their decisions. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is defined as a medical diagnosis in an infant or child whose prenatal growth is not up to par. The child may be under weight or length in the tenth percentile. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome can be rage on different severity levels and is defined on the amount of alcohol the mother consumes during prenatal care (Froschl,Bruner-Ziegler, Wirl 2013).The central nervous system and neurological system usually experience abnormalities in development. Behavioral dysfunction, intellectual impairment, and facial abnormalities are also signs for Fetal Alcohol syndrome (Pancratz, 1993). Due to the intellectual impairment the average IQ score of some one …show more content…
More than 50,000 babies are born in the U.S. each year with alcohol-cognate defects. In about one-fourth of these cases, the damage ranging from facial deformities to heart abnormalities is astringent enough to be relegated as fetal alcohol syndrome (Dorfman. 1989). As little as one drink per day can damage one’s offspring. Fetal alcohol syndrome, also known as FAS, is now seen as one of the leading known causes of mental retardation in the United States. FAS now surpasses down syndrome and spina bifida (Streissguth, 1991). Researchs have found that FAS is responsible for around 20% of all U.S. cases of mental retardation (Dorfman.

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