Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Implications for the Irish Care System

Birth defects can result from (a) an abnormal or mutant gene, (b) an infection, or (c) a drug. Today the field of speciality known as teratology investigates birth defects and the substances or teratogens that cause them. Since the thalidomide tragedy we have become acutely aware that the unborn child in the uterus is extremely sensitive to substances ingested by the mother. One such substance is alcohol. There is now a large body of evidence to indicate that maternal consumption of alcohol leads to a broad spectrum of birth defects. This resulting set of defects is known collectively as the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and to discuss the implications for victims, care givers, social workers, policy makers and educationalists.