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Understanding FASD
Child Welfare Practice Tips
National Center on Substance Use and Child Welfare
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Alcohol remains the most frequently used substance during pregnancy second only to tobacco.
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Using a “weighted prevalence” approach, the estimated prevalence of FASD ranged from 3.1 to 9.8 % among the study sites.
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The rate is estimated to be higher—6% for FAS and nearly 17% for FASD— among children and youth involved with child welfare services.
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Child welfare professionals play a vital role in partnering with other service providers who offer comprehensive, family-centered services to support children with FASD along with their parents, caregivers, and families. They can also help identify signs and symptoms of parental alcohol use and dysregulation in infants, children, and youth that could indicate FASD.
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Read more here
FAQs
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
"Pregnant women do not cause FASD. Alcohol causes FASD."
Dr. Ken Jones MD
Why is alcohol an unsafe substance in pregnancy?
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Alcohol is a teratogen. All teratogens (e.g., thalidomide, lead, rubella) cause birth defects. Alcohol can cause damage to any system of the body. It is particularly destructive to the brain of the fetus, causing damage to the structures, function, neurochemistry, and the brain's ability to grow and repair. Studies show, there is no safe level of prenatal alcohol exposure.
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Read this to better understand the effects of alcohol.
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the placenta is not a barrier to alcohol
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recurrent cycle of fetal swallowing and elimination of alcohol
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amniotic fluid acts as a reservoir for alcohol
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Go here for more FAQs
in FASD
Dr. Jerrod Brown
This episode of the podcast Living with FASD: Candid Conversations with Patti Kasper explores the intersection of suggestibility with confabulation and compliance, particularly in high-pressure situations like legal interrogations or in therapy or medical sessions. Dr. Brown guides us through the vulnerabilities that individuals with FASD face.
Why no alcohol during pregnancy
is the Safest Choice
Dr. Vincent Smith MD MPH
Division Chief of Newborn Medicine at Boston Medical Center
"Although parents with a substance use disorder* have a higher likelihood of having a child with FASD, most children with FASDs are born to parents who do not have a substance use disorder."
Prenatal alcohol exposure and potential harm can also occur before a person is aware they are pregnant.
Children with prenatal alcohol exposure come from every social, economic, racial, and ethnic group.
In the United States, nearly 1 in 7 pregnant people report alcohol use in the past 30 days.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises:
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There is no amount of alcohol during pregnancy that is risk-free.
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There is no kind of alcohol during pregnancy that is risk-free.
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There is no time during pregnancy when alcohol consumption is risk-free.
Read complete article here
*Substance use disorder is a treatable chronic disease
BRAIN ONLINE
A new web-based tool aims to increase accessibility to FASD screening services and help people get diagnosed more quickly.
Sarah Mattson PhD Co-director of SDSU’s Center for Behavioral Teratology
How will this tool improve FASD diagnosis?
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People with FASD are often misdiagnosed.
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Even though we have known about FASD for over 50 years, it's not very commonly evaluated.
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There's a great deal of stigma around prenatal alcohol exposure and clinicians are not always comfortable talking about it.
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Read more here
Eight Things I Wish My School Knew About Me
It’s important for me to share with you that I live with an invisible, brain-based condition, FASD, that makes seemingly easy cognitive tasks difficult for me.
I want to help you, help me :)
1. I need more time - I may have a processing disorder. Sometimes, I might appear to be disinterested, or simply refusing to participate, when in reality I haven't had enough time to process what the teacher has said or asked, and this makes me embarrassed and anxious.
2. I will need to be re-taught or reminded about the simplest rules and routines. This is because my brain cannot hold onto information without significant repetition. Visual reminders, along with understanding adults who have accepted the need to re-teach me, help me immensely.
Read more here Thank you !
75% of children with an FASD
have an attention problem and may be diagnosed with ADHD without considering other diagnoses. Attention deficits in children with an FASD, without ADHD, may derive from deficiencies in:
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executive functioning skills
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short-term memory
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the ability to shift attention
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slower processing speed
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medications for ADHD may worsen symptoms in children with FASD
Prenatal exposure to alcohol and its impact on substance use
in adulthood.
"Overall, our findings, based on 30 years’ worth of data on a prenatal birth cohort, suggest that even relatively moderate exposure to alcohol during pregnancy, a critical sensitive period for brain development, might alter neural reward processing in the offspring and contribute to the intergenerational transmission of risk for substance use disorders."
A Toast to Raising Alcohol Taxes
NYT May 4, 2023
Kirk Semple, Adam Westbrook
Raising taxes on alcohol could:
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reduce deaths on America's roads
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prevent fatal diseases
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reduce violence
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unintended pregnancy
Top Legal Experts Highlight FASD in the Justice System
"There is no absence of decisions being made about youth with FASD. There is an absence of knowledge to inform these decisions.”
Peter Choate PhD RSW
Leading experts in the area of FASD and the criminal justice system presented on a range of topics at the 9th International Research Conference on Adolescents and Adults with FASD. Video recordings of five preconference expert panels:
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FASD-Informed Innovations in Court Practices
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FASD-informed Policing
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The importance of effective legal representation for people with FASD as defendants, witnesses, and victims
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Juvenile Court
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Child Welfare and Family Court
The Brain First Parenting Podcast
supports parents who are raising children, teens or young adults with brain-based differences and challenging behavioral symptoms. We are a safe space for parents who have historically felt like there isn't a place for them in the parenting advice world. At Brain First Parenting, we see each child as a unique individual with a unique brain, who deserves...
FASD is often misdiagnosed because many of the characteristics look the same as other mental health disorders, so it is important to get an FASD assessment from a trained professional.
This checklist tool is not intended as a diagnostic assessment, but as a way to see if FASD is something to consider when talking to your/your child’s health care provider.
More on living with an FASD
Thank you to PROOF Alliance for this information.
Go to "For the person with an FASD"
FASD Collaborative Project
Free recorded webinars here.
Some topics covered:
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9 Core Messages: What Everyone Should Know About Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
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Caregiver Success! Parents of Adults with FASD Share What Works
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A Functional Approach to FASD Diagnosis
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Educational Care for Children Affected by Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
FASD Support Groups online and in person here
FASD Collaborative participating organizations here.
Scientists warn:
Even small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy can cause
fetal brain injury
Published in Neuropharmacology November 2025, the study shows that even small amounts of alcohol can disrupt the baby’s brain circuits responsible for learning, memory, decision-making, and behaviour control.
Read more here