i.org,). Other physical Defects include cardiac, skeletal, renal, ocular, auditory, dental, and immune anomalies and low birth weight. Ventricular septal defect and atrial septal defect are just two of the cardiac anomalies that may occur. Children with FAS may have auditory anomalies including hearing deficits, chronic ear infections that can last into adulthood, delayed auditory function, sensorineural hearing loss, intermittent conductive hearing loss, and central hearing loss. Several visual disorders commonly linked to FAS include strabismus, optic nerve hypoplasia, and posterior haze of the cornea. TMJ and Malocclusion are two of the dento-facial disorders in which a FAS child may suffer. FAS has also been discovered to effect the immune system, not much is known but there appears to be a link between alcohol exposure and the reduction of T-cells (http://www.arbi.org)Each child is affected differently by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. There are many factors that affect the risk and severity of FAS. First of all the timing of the exposure is a very influential factor. Heavy drinking during the first few months of pregnancy will affect the cells of the fetus’s brain and face. Consuming alcohol during the first trimester is the most damaging to the baby because of the interference it will have on the development of the brain. Binge drinking is extremely harmful and increases the risk of extreme brain damage. Mothers who abuse both alcohol and drugs place their babies at an even greater risk, and severity of brain damage. Most recently researchers have found that heredity can often have an affect on the babies ability to metabolize alcohol which explains why some children have more serious cases of FAS then others. Other factors include socioeconomic status, race, and culture of the mother (http://www.arbi.org). A big part of the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome problem is the misdiagnosis and the under diagnosis of children with ...
