Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) - Essay Example It was in 1977, Golden writes, that Americans viewed on national television for the first time a child suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) (Golden, 1999, 269). What happened during that event when baby â€Å"Melissa† was introduced to the public was that the public had its first view and gained an understanding through the news segment during which Melissa was introduced by anchor David Brinkley of what FAS was and looked like (Golden, 269). The public learned that the –physical abnormalities of FAS are evidenced in children by conditions of mental retardation (MR), in combination with microcephaly, a condition of a small head; short palperable fissures, or very small eye slits; and a deficient mental ability (Golden, 269).While Melissa was not MR, she did demonstrate a deficient mental capacity, as described by Dr. Kenneth Lyons Jones, who conducted research studies through which he came to know baby Melissa (Golden, 269). The airing of the segment brought about an increased release of information to the American public on the dangers of alcohol and pregnancy (Golden, 269). More than two drinks a day during pregnancy, health officials cautioned, could bring about the very conditions from which Melissa suffered (Golden, 269). Even worse, the effects of alcohol consumption beyond two drinks a day could cause damage greater than what the viewing audiences were seeing as the physical impact of alcohol on baby Melissa (Golden, 269). Tresa M. Roebuck, Sarah N. Mattson, and Edward P. Riley (1999) of San Diego State University also collaborated in studying and writing a book on the effects of alcohol and alcoholism on the brain. â€Å"(Therefore)†¦the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure may be more subtle and far-reaching than once believed (Spear, Spear, Goodlett, 1999, 1),† the group concluded. Suggesting that perhaps less than two drinks per day is enough to adversely impact the developing