Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) was first described in 1973,7 but descriptions of the effects of alcohol exposure during pregnancy date back to ancient history.8 FASD is a nondiagnostic umbrella term for the possible childhood outcomes of prenatal alcohol exposure. FASD includes FAS, partial FAS, alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), and alcohol-related birth defects. Individuals with FAS have specific facial features (including short palpebral fissures, flat philtrum, and thin upper lip), impaired prenatal and/or postnatal growth, and structural or functional problems of the central nervous system. If all of these features are present and differential diagnoses are excluded, the diagnosis of FAS can be made even if alcohol exposure during pregnancy is not confirmed. Individuals with partial FAS have most, but not all, the features of FAS. Individuals with ARND have a complex pattern of behavioral and/or neurologic impairment without the physical features of FAS. Fetal alcohol effects (FAE) is an obsolete term previously used to describe individuals with incomplete features of FAS. The facial features of FAS occur with fetal alcohol exposure early in the first trimester, but neuropsychologic deficits may
