Diagnosing fetal alcohol syndrome is difficult, because not all children display readily definable characteristics.

Although there are no statistics as to the prevalence in Coos County, a study from 2001 found that for every 1,000 babies born in the United States, between 0.5 and 2 will exhibit characteristics of FAS.

Pregnant women who binge drink run a greater risk of having children with the syndrome. In Oregon, white women and Native American women have a greater tendency of drinking heavily during pregnancy, said Lesa Dixon-Gray, FAS prevention coordinator for the Oregon Department of Human Services.

Each year, about 90 children in Oregon are born with FAS, according to information provided by Sylvia Mangan at the Coos County Public Health Department.

Treating children with FAS and other alcohol-related neurobehavioral disorders is not cheap. Between health care, mental health services, developmental disability services, special education and juvenile justice services, about $90 million a year is spent on Oregon children with FAS, Dixon-Gray said.

Preventing FAS is relatively simple. Pregnant women or those attempting to become pregnant should avoid drinking beer, wine or spirits. A woman can harm a fetus by drinking alcohol before she realizes she is pregnant, Dixon-Gray said.