Alcohol is a known teratogen and prenatal alcohol exposure remains a major ongoing public health concern. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder has become the diagnosis for describing individuals who have been affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. In this Viewpoint, we raise major concerns about its continued use as a diagnostic term in how it perpetuates a misleading and outdated narrative about child development and maternal health. We argue that the term fetal alcohol spectrum disorder has contributed to a culture of racism and discrimination for many who are diagnosed with it. The term fetal alcohol spectrum disorder fails to capture the progress made in our collective understanding of neurodevelopment through advancements in the field of genetics and in understanding the effects of trauma and adversity. We call for urgent international collaborative action to review the use of it as a diagnostic term and, more broadly, to reconsider the practice of diagnosing disabilities as medical illnesses. We suggest that this practice fails to recognise that outcomes of functioning and participation in individuals are not only the results of health conditions, but are also the products of complex interactions and experiences of individuals within the families and societies in which they live.

中文翻译：

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在孩子、母亲和他们所生活的系统背景下询问有关胎儿酒精谱系障碍的难题


酒精是一种已知的致畸剂，产前酒精暴露仍然是一个主要的持续公共卫生问题。胎儿酒精谱系障碍已成为描述受产前酒精暴露影响的个体的诊断。在这份观点中，我们对它继续被用作诊断术语表示严重关切，因为它如何延续关于儿童发展和孕产妇健康的误导性和过时的叙述。我们认为，胎儿酒精谱系障碍一词为许多被诊断出患有胎儿酒精谱系障碍的人助长了种族主义和歧视文化。胎儿酒精谱系障碍一词未能捕捉到我们通过遗传学领域的进步以及理解创伤和逆境的影响而对神经发育的集体理解所取得的进展。我们呼吁采取紧急的国际合作行动，审查将其用作诊断术语，更广泛地说，重新考虑将残疾诊断为医学疾病的做法。我们认为，这种做法没有认识到，个人的功能和参与的结果不仅是健康状况的结果，而且是个人在他们所生活的家庭和社会中复杂互动和经历的产物。