The Florida Fights FASD campaign is sponsored by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Developmental Disabilities and the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc. (FDDC). The mission of FDDC is to advocate and promote meaningful participation in all aspects of life for Floridians with developmental disabilities. Website: www.fddc.org Phone: (850) 488-4180 Toll Free: (800) 580-7801 Fax: (850) 922-6702 Email: [email protected] 124 Marriott Drive, Suite 203 Tallahassee, Florida 32301-2981 Facts About FASD Join the Fight Against Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders! • ere is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant. ere is also no safe time during pregnancy to drink and no safe kind of alcohol. • When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, so does her unborn baby. Alcohol in the mother’s blood stream passes through the placenta to the baby through the umbilical cord. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth and a range of lifelong disorders. • Alcohol produces the most serious neurobehavioral effects in the fetus, more than abuse of heroin, cocaine or marijuana. Alcohol abuse results in life-long permanent disorders of memory function, impulse control and judgment. • Individuals with FASD may suffer from abnormal heart structure, behavior problems, developmental delays, problems in the structure of the head, eyes, nose or mouth, and slow growth and poor coordination after birth. • FASD is the leading known preventable cause of developmental delays and birth defects and a leading known cause of learning disabilities. • FASD can affect anyone regardless of ethnicity, income or education level. FASD is not a genetic disorder. • e problems caused by FASD are not curable, but they are 100 percent preventable. Clinical and public health leaders recommend that women who are planning to get pregnant or are already pregnant abstain from alcohol.