We know from research and experience that children in foster care are more likely to be affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) than children who live with their birth families. It’s important for everyone involved in caring for children, especially foster carers, to know about FASD.
How is FASD diagnosed?
Although it is possible to diagnose some cases of FASD at birth, it usually becomes more obvious as a child grows up. This is because as a child gets older, the gap between their development and the development of their peers becomes wider and more noticeable.
The current guidance for diagnosing FASD asks doctors to look for a combination of three things:
- To actively consider prenatal alcohol exposure as a possible underlying cause for neurodevelopmental delay.
- Characteristic facial features (which occur in less than 10 per cent of people with FASD).
- The evidence of severe impairment in three neurodevelopmental areas:
- - Children and adults with FASD may find it difficult to deal with information.
- They may find it hard to translate hearing into doing, thinking into saying, reading into speaking or feeling into words.
- They may also find it difficult to apply specific learning to new experiences or situations. This means they may not be able to see patterns, predict events or make judgments.
If you are ever worried about a child’s development, or think they may be affected by FASD, the first step is to speak to a doctor – in most cases, a GP or paediatrician. To help make a diagnosis of FASD, the doctor will want to know whether the child was exposed to the alcohol before birth.
If FASD is diagnosed, a team of healthcare professionals can support you with how to manage the child’s educational and behavioural needs. In the first instance, you should speak with the child’s social worker to assess what support should be made available to your child, which may include for their education. You should also speak with your fostering service about what additional support and training you might require.
How common is FASD?
We don’t know exactly how many people are affected by FASD. This is because people with FASD can experience different symptoms, which are often similar to other conditions that are more well-known (autism, for example). One study in Peterborough suggests that as many as three per cent of children could have FASD. This rose to 27 per cent in looked after children.
We do know that FASD disproportionately affects children and young people who are in foster care. Therefore, it’s really important that foster carers know the signs of FASD, and how to get support for a child who may be affected.