Fetal alcohol specialists on the Sunshine Coast say the syndrome has become a hidden epidemic, with the number of children affected by prenatal alcohol exposure now believed to outnumber those diagnosed with autism and cerebral palsy.

Key points: Specialists say between 2 and 5 per cent of the population is affected by FASD

Specialists say between 2 and 5 per cent of the population is affected by FASD They say the figures outnumber children affected by autism, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and sudden infant death syndrome

They say the figures outnumber children affected by autism, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and sudden infant death syndrome A speech pathologist says FASD is often misdiagnosed as autism, but there needs to be more support for people with brain damage from FASD

A specialist Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Clinic was launched at Caloundra Hospital in 2015 to provide support and to determine the prevalence of the condition in the community.

Paediatric specialist Heidi Webster said the clinic had diagnosed around 100 children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in the past five years, but she believed the actual number of those with the syndrome was in the thousands.

Dr Heidi Webster heads up a clinic to diagnose FASD in children. ( ABC Sunshine Coast: Amy Sheehan )

"Between 2 and 5 per cent of the population is affected … we've potentially got 18,000 people on the Sunshine Coast affected by FASD," Dr Webster said.

"The large majority of that, of course, has not been diagnosed."

'FASD affects more children than autism'

Speech pathologist Nicole Amos is one of the clinic specialists who helps diagnose local children.

She believed Australia's drinking culture was causing the condition to be much more prevalent than people ever thought.

"FASD has been termed the 'hidden epidemic' because it's thought to affect a large portion of our population … due to the large amount of alcohol consumed in our communities," Ms Amos said.

Ms Amos said a study carried out by leading medical researchers from London in 2015 showed the prevalence of FASD in Australia was now considered to be higher than many other common childhood diagnoses.

"Two per cent of all Australian babies are born with FASD and it's thought to affect more children than autism, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, and sudden infant death syndrome combined," she said.

The Caloundra FASD Clinic has helped launch a podcast series called Pregnancy and Alcohol: The Surprising Reality to raise awareness of the syndrome's prevalence.

The podcast shared the story a Sunshine Coast mother, known only as Karen, who was awaiting a formal diagnosis of FASD for her 13-year-old son.

Karen said the guidelines around drinking while pregnant were different today to when she gave birth to her second son in 2007.

The Pregnancy and Alcohol: The Surprising Reality podcast discusses the risk of drinking while pregnant. ( Supplied: CDS FASD Clinic )

"I knew it was approved by the National Health Medical Research Council that you could have up to two alcoholic drinks … in one sitting or no more than five a week," she said in the podcast.

"My pregnancies were in 2005 and 2007 but they actually updated the guidelines in 2009 and those guidelines actually say that abstinence is the safest choice."

Karen said it was not until her son began experiencing significant behavioural and learning difficulties at primary school that she realised he could be suffering from FASD.

"I put two and two together at that point and I realised 'Oh my gosh, I know I had two occasions where I drank alcohol and what would be classed as binge drinking'," she said.

"I had more than five standard drinks of alcohol on two different occasions in those six weeks before I knew I was pregnant."

Karen's son is now undergoing formal testing for FASD, after a clinical psychologist found he had four neuro-developmental impairments. A diagnosis of FASD only requires three.

Speech pathologist Nicole Amos and paediatric specialist Heidi Webster at the Caloundra FASD clinic. ( ABC Sunshine Coast: Amy Sheehan )

"When I made the discovery it was a really tough … and there was a huge amount of guilt in that early stage," she said.

"If he does have FASD, I want to know and I want to know for him."

Karen believed her story was not unique and many other children may be suffering from the condition undiagnosed, despite current prenatal alcohol consumption guidelines.

"I think [my situation] would mirror many, many thousands of women," she said.

"I didn't know I was pregnant and I wasn't expecting to be at that point, so I actually couldn't have prevented it."

'Binge drinking the biggest risk to babies'

It's a sentiment shared by Dr Webster, who said binge drinking in the early stages of pregnancy could cause the biggest risk to babies developing FASD.

"It's usually not deliberate by mothers; it's often before they knew they were pregnant," she said.

"Even in the first three months before they got the pregnancy diagnosed or when they're still having a lifestyle of partying and drinking and they're not yet feeling morning sick, that the exposure happens."

Binge drinking causes the highest risk of FASD. ( Unsplash: Giovanna Gomes )

Ms Amos said the condition was often wrongly diagnosed as autism because it shares similar learning and behavioural symptoms, and often support for those with autism or spectrum disorders is greater than that of FASD.

She said, as a society, we needed to change the way we look at children and adults with the condition.

"Alcohol exposure prenatally actually causes brain damage, so we need to support people with FASD as we would support someone with brain damage," she said.

Karen would like more women to be aware of the risks of drinking during pregnancy and its potential life-long impacts, which her son was now facing.

"He's not as severely impacted but realistically at the moment for him to find employment when he's old enough will be a real challenge," she said.

"So for me it's about getting that diagnosis so he can get that support and access it as he gets older."