The brain is a very complicated structure that begins to develop long before we are born. It continues to develop, grow, and change throughout most of our lives.

Sometimes drugs such as alcohol can cause changes in the way the brain develops as the baby is growing in the uterus.

Heavy drinking during pregnancy can cause permanent changes in the brain or the developing child.

These changes in the brain may cause the child and adult to have some difficulty remembering and learning some things.

Also the child and adult might find it difficult to pay attention, complete a task, or figure out a math problem.

Even with these changes, the brain has an amazing ability to recover, to heal, or to improve. We must learn the best ways to help and teach the brain so that the changes that did occur don't cause more serious problems.

Fetal Alcohol syndrome is a world wide problem that must have a world wide solution.

There are more people with FAS in other countries than in the United States. We must learn from them to be able to help you.

The responsibility to find out why it happens and to help those who have it belongs to many different government organizations, both in your state where you live and in Washington, D.C., the federal level. They must work together.

The government agencies are working together at the federal level and research is helping to solve some of the problems.

You can help. It is very important to find out what can be done to make learning easier for people who have FAS/ARND. Meetings like this one and information learned from other countries will help us.

We want to get teachers, employers, police, judges, doctors, and nurses, and you and your support persons talking to each other so that all of us will understand FAS better. You can help us this week by letting us know the problems you are having and the ways you have solved some of these problems.