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Father with fifteen-year-old boy, Sweden. The boy's mother was an alcoholic during her pregnancy, and her drinking caused the severe intellectual disability and blindness of her son. He recently had a tube attached because he had stopped eating. When photographed he weighed only 15kg. His father comes to visit once a week, and plays a calculator keyboard in his son's ear when he comes to visit, which he enjoys and grips his father's fingers. When the father held him he reached for the sound of his father's voice. His father died shortly after this photo was taken.

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a term used to describe the damage some unborn children suffer when their mothers drink during pregnancy. Alcohol in the mother's bloodstream can be toxic to the developing fetus depending on the stage of pregnancy and how much she drinks. Damage can range from subtle to severe, causing clumsiness, behavioral problems, stunted growth, disfigurement, intellectual disability. Thousands of babies are born with alcohol-related defects each year, ranking FAS as one of the leading known causes of intellectual disability. Not all mothers who drink have babies with FAS. Some doctors believe that any alcohol puts the baby at risk, while nearly all agree that binge drinking is perilous, especially during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, when many women don't yet know they are pregnant. Fetal alcohol syndrome has a predictable long-term progression into adulthood in which maladaptive behaviors present the greatest challenge to management.

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Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Father with fifteen-year-old boy, Sweden. The boy's mother was an alcoholic during her pregnancy, and her drinking caused the severe intellectual disability and blindness of her son. He recently had a tube attached because he had stopped eating. When photographed he weighed only 15kg. His father comes to visit once a week, and plays a calculator keyboard in his son's ear when he comes to visit, which he enjoys and grips his father's fingers. When the father held him he reached for the sound of his father's voice. His father died shortly after this photo was taken. <br /> <br /> Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a term used to describe the damage some unborn children suffer when their mothers drink during pregnancy. Alcohol in the mother's bloodstream can be toxic to the developing fetus depending on the stage of pregnancy and how much she drinks. Damage can range from subtle to severe, causing clumsiness, behavioral problems, stunted growth, disfigurement, intellectual disability. Thousands of babies are born with alcohol-related defects each year, ranking FAS as one of the leading known causes of intellectual disability. Not all mothers who drink have babies with FAS. Some doctors believe that any alcohol puts the baby at risk, while nearly all agree that binge drinking is perilous, especially during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, when many women don't yet know they are pregnant. Fetal alcohol syndrome has a predictable long-term progression into adulthood in which maladaptive behaviors present the greatest challenge to management.

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