CDC-TV presents: The Story of Iyal

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are lifelong conditions that affect every aspect of an individual's life and the lives of his or her family. On the latest episode of CDC-TV, watch one family living with FASDs as they share their story and hope.

Watch or download the video.
( 3:47 mins)

In "The Story of Iyal", a new video available through CDC-TV , a mother tells her compelling story about a family living with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). Every family has unique experiences, challenges and successes. The intent is not to endorse specific interventions, but to share one family's story and hope and help viewers gain a better understanding of the challenges of families living with FASDs, as well as the importance of early diagnosis and intervention, and to encourage parents and caregivers to talk to a specialist if they are concerned about their child.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are a group of conditions that can occur in a person whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects can include physical problems and problems with behavior and learning. Often, a person with an FASD has a mix of these problems. FASDs are caused by a woman drinking alcohol during pregnancy. There is no known amount of alcohol that is safe to drink while pregnant. There is also no safe time to drink during pregnancy and no safe kind of alcohol to drink while pregnant. FASDs last a lifetime. There is no cure for FASDs, but research shows that early intervention treatment services can improve a child's development. 

This video, which is available for viewing through a number of channels including mobile phone or as a podcast, is also available for download (see "Download this Video" instructions on the CDC-TV page) allowing organizations to utilize the video in a number of ways including present the video as an instructional tool for parents, healthcare providers or teachers.

Providing short, high-quality videos is part of CDC's goal to increase people's access to the information necessary to help prevent illness, injury and to protect their health and that of their families.

More Information

• For more information see http://www.cdc.gov/CDCtv/