What are the symptoms Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?

My sister and I just found out that my Mother drank heavily all nine months she was pregnant with us. I had been having some problems and afetr talking with her she was having a lot of the same symptoms. I am 43 and she is 41. We would really some info.

Mental retardation is the most common and serious birth defect associated with FAS. Perhaps the most notable defects in FAS involve the face and eyes. In general, these defects are obvious and include facial bone hypoplasia (under-development), a long, underdeveloped philtrum (the groove in the middle of the upper lip), a thin upper lip, a short nose, and ptosis (drooping of the eyelids). Although the typical facial features may not be as apparent during the newborn period, they become more prominent as the infant develops. As these children grow into young adulthood, however, the facial abnormalities become more subtle and thereby contribute to the difficulty of recognizing FAS in older persons. With these physical abnormalities come sensory deficits that frequently involve vision, hearing and speech. Hyperacusis (abnormal acuteness of hearing) is common in infants, and approximately one third of these infants have a conductive hearing loss and another one-third have a sensorineural hearing loss. More than 90 percent of infants with FAS have delays in receptive and expressive language development.

slanted eyes may look similar to the eyes of a child with down syndrom. Learning dissabilities, low birth weight

Please see the links listed below. Also consult your doctor and talk to your doctor more if you are suspicious. However, finding out this information this late in life, while it may give you a reason for certain problems, you may not be able to overcome some of the problems. At the same time, it is something to discuss with your sister. Good luck in your search, I hope these resources help you out.