"Stop and think. If you're pregnant, don't drink."

Welcome

Welcome to the SAMHSA Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Center for Excellence Web site. The FASD Center is a Federal initiative devoted to preventing and treating FASD. This Web site provides information and resources about FASD. We also provide materials you can use to raise awareness about FASD. Additionally, The Center is dedicated to providing training, technical assistance, and conference/event speakers.

What is FASD

FASD is an umbrella term describing the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects may include physical, mental, behavioral, and/or learning disabilities with possible lifelong implications. Each year in the U.S., as many as 40,000 babies are born with an FASD. The cost to the nation for FAS alone is about $6 billion a year.

The term FASD

The term FASD refers to a spectrum of conditions that include fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), fetal alcohol effects (FAE), alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), and alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD). Although disorders within the spectrum can be diagnosed, the term FASD itself is not intended for use as a clinical diagnosis.

Local agency fighting birth defects
WDTN, January 11, 2012

Public Policy Statement on Women, Alcohol and Other Drugs, and Pregnancy
The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) is deeply committed to the prevention of alcohol and other drug-related harm and to the health and well-being of mothers and their children, including the prevention of addiction in women. For the pregnant woman with a substance use disorder (SUD), ASAM also recognizes that the SUD is typically well established prior to conception. Read more

HHS announces Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program funding opportunity
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced up to $99 million in competitive funding under the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program. Funding for the MIECHV program is provided by the Affordable Care Act.