1. A pregnant woman drinking a glass of wine or 1 beer a day is ok throughout her pregnancy. 

MYTH. The CDC STATES THAT NO AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL IS SAFE FOR BABY IN UTERO, AT ANY TIME (www.cdc.gov, 2018). Most women do not know they are pregnant until 4-6 weeks after conception. The baby’s brain begins developing in the third week of gestation.

2. 50% of individuals with an FASD have facial features of an FASD.

MYTH. Only 5-7% of those with an FASD have facial features, and sometimes as one grows and matures, the facial features subside. A couple facial features that are common are a flat, thin upper lip, and palpebral fissures in the eyes (distance between the left and right corners of each eye, which can give an optical illusion that the eyes are far apart from one another).

3. FASDs in the United States and Canada are more common than Autism. 

TRUTH. FASDs occur in 1 out of 20 school age children in the united states. FASDS are 1.5 times as common as Autism in the United States, and 2.5 times as common as Autism in Canada. (www..fasdunited.org). 16 million people in the United States have an FASD.

4. FASDs are Curable:

MYTH. FASDs are NOT curable. They are irreversible brain damage that occurs in utero. They are the ONE brain disability that is 100% PREVENTABLE.

5. The annual cost for an individual with an FASD in the United States is around $31,000.00. 

TRUTH. This cost includes the costs incurred for those in the criminal justice system, which occurs due to those with an FASD having trouble with impulse control and understanding cause and effect. The part of the brain that controls these functions is the Frontal Lobe (Executive Functioning) (www.proofalliance.org)