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Ireland has the third highest rate of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder - where children suffer because of parental drinking - in the world, a new report has found.
A study by RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences found the levels within the Irish populace are up to 10 times the global average.
However, it also reveals our health system lacks diagnostic pathways and support services for sufferers.
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a range of adverse conditions including learning and concentration difficulties, hyperactivity and emotional management.
It can be caused by a father's alcohol consumption prior to conception as well as a mother's, but 39 per cent of those surveyed in the report believed that men's drinking habits have no influence.
The HSE estimates that between 2.8 and 7.4 per cent of the Irish population lives with FASD.
The RCSI report found stigma around FASD often prevents parents from coming forward and seeking a diagnosis for their child.
It calls for the establishment of a national FASD clinic as well as improved supports for families and carers and better education about the condition for teachers, SNAs, health professionals and the public.
FASD is frequently misdiagnosed as autism or ADHD and sufferers have an average life expectancy of 34, with a higher rate of suicide and substance abuse than the population at large.
However, children living with FASD can thrive in a school environment. Adolescents living with FASD were reported to have particular skills in art, music or sports.
One parent interviewed for the study described how difficult it is for biological parents to come forward to say that their child has FASD because 'that would mean that they were responsible'.
'I don't think people can be blamed for not knowing,' the interviewee told researchers. 'If a child has foetal alcohol, I think that no blame culture needs to be reinforced... mothers are blamed but they're not supported.'
Tristan Casson-Rennie, CEO, FASD Ireland, said: "For too long, FASD has been a hidden disability in Ireland - it's present in every community, but too often it's gone unnamed, misunderstood or ignored.
"This report isn't just about numbers; it puts shape on the real lives and challenges behind them. This report shows very clearly where people are falling through the cracks, and it gives us the solid evidence we need, as a country, to put that right."