ABSTRACT
More than 2 decades ago, two groups of clinicians, one in France (Lemoine, Harrousseau,
Borteyru, & Menuet, 1968) and one in the United States (Jones, Smith, Ulleland, &
Streissguth, 1973), independently reported birth defects resulting from alcohol
consumption during pregnancy. Although the French report was published first, the
medical community did not recognize the seriousness of alcohol-induced birth defects
until 5 years later when Jones and Smith (1973) introduced the term fetal alcohol
syndrome (FAS) to describe the specific constellation of abnormalities found in some
offspring born to alcoholic mothers. The characteristic features of FAS include (a) facial
dysmorphology, including features such as flattened philtrum (the midline groove area
between base of the nose and upper lip), thin upper lip, and flat midface; (b) prenatal and
postnatal growth retardation, including significantly lower birth weight; and (c) central
nervous system (CNS) dysfunction, from hyperactivity to attention deficits and learning
disabilities. These distinctive features are the current diagnostic criteria for FAS.
