The WVFASD Network was funded by the WV Department of Health and Human Services' Division on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse through a partnership with South Charleston IMPACT and the WV Prevention Resource Center to provide a statewide learning program to provide training and technical assistance on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, assess current provider educational needs and to identify and provide statewide coordination of existing effort. The Learning Network web site was designed to serve as a state and national resource guide for further learning.

What is FASD?

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is the term used to encompass a variety of impairments affecting an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects may include physical, mental, behavioral, and learning disorders. Related disorders that fall under this classification include:

• FAS: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
• FAE: Fetal Alcohol Effects
• ARBD: Alcohol Related Birth Defects
• ARND: Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder

Symptoms of a person with a birth defect classified as a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder may include:

• Difficulty taking in, storing, processing, and recalling information
• Lower IQ
• Hypersensitivity to sensory input
• Clumsiness
• Difficulty following directions
• Misinterpretation of others' actions
• Not learning from mistakes or natural consequences
• Acting inconsistently in a constant environment
• Not picking up social cues
• Inability to entertain themselves
• Trouble changing tasks