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Glossary

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

An umbrella term that describes a continuum of conditions that result from prenatal alcohol exposure. FASD is not a diagnostic term.

The specific diagnoses within the spectrum include*:

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) with Confirmed Maternal Alcohol Exposure

Diagnostic criteria include: Confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure, the presence of all 3 characteristic facial features (short palpebral fissures, smooth philtrum, thin upper lip), growth deficiency, and evidence of impairment in 3 or more of the following central nervous system (CNS) domains: hard and soft neurologic signs; brain structure; cognition; communication; academic achievement; memory; executive functioning and abstract reasoning; attention deficit/hyperactivity; and adaptive behaviour, social skills and social communication.

The diagnostic criteria are the same as above, however the presence of prenatal alcohol exposure is unconfirmed.  The characteristic facial features of FAS make this the only diagnosis under the FASD umbrella that is possible without confirmed prenatal substance exposure.

The diagnostic criteria include: Confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure, the presence of 2 of the characteristic facial features, and evidence of CNS impairment as above.

The diagnostic criteria include: Confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure and evidence of CNS impairment as above.  ARND is considered the most common diagnosis, and is considered an invisible disability.  People with ARND are not visibily disabled but have significant brain impairment that may go unrecognized and therefore unsupported.

This term should not be used as an umbrella term or diagnostic term. ARBD constitutes a list of congenital anomalies including malformations and dysplasias and should be used with caution.  Persons with congenital anomalies due to prenatal alcohol exposure will likely also have CNS impairment, and therefore be captured in one of the other more appropriate diagnostic criteria.

FAE was a term formerly used to describe the impairment to a child exposed to alcohol prenatally, however the impairment did not satisfy the criteria for a diagnosis of FAS due to a lack of the characteristic facial features and/or growth delay.  The term FAE was not a diagnosis, and is no longer in common use.  Many individuals who would have previously fit this category would now be considered to have ARND under the new diagnostic criteria.