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diagnosis
Identification of alcohol related birth defects involves a comprehensive
assessment by a group of professionals trained to differentiate
between fetal alcohol syndrome and other disorders. A parent, teacher
or medical doctor may first notice some of the physical indications.
These physical signs may include small head size and height, very
low weight, and certain common facial characteristics.
Identification is often conducted by a team of professionals that
includes medical professionals, such as doctors or nurse practitioners,
and allied health professionals, such as psychologists, social workers,
physical and occupational therapists, and speech pathologists. In
addition, a team may have other professionals such as educators.
Medical doctors can document head size, height, weight, and other
related indicators, as well as help with associated minor medical
problems. Identification should be made by a Dysmorphologist. Typically,
this is a medical doctor who has received specialized training in
recognizing the dysmorphology seen in children with FAS. This professional
may also have specialized training in genetics, developmental pediatrics,
neurology, or psychiatry.
A neurodevelopmental assessment by a medical or psychological professional
may also be recommended by the child’s doctor or school. This
type of assessment will include IQ or intellectual ability, achievement,
visual-motor, attention, adaptive behavior, and social emotional
development tests. A social worker can help the family obtain community
support and referrals to outside agencies. An occupational therapist,
physical therapist, or speech expert can help define and treat the
often seen motor skills and expressive language development delays.
An educational assessment can ensure the child receives the optimal
placement in the least restrictive environment. Unfortunately, FASD
is still not understood by many doctors and professionals, and there
are few clinics that are qualified to treat children with this disorder.
Problems frequently seen in children with FASD are sometimes confused
with ADHD (reference attention
deficits form diagnosis details) because behaviors may appear
similar. However, important differences exist. In contrast to children
with ADHD who often have difficulty focusing and maintaining attention,
children diagnosed with FAS/FAE were able to focus and maintain
attention, but were not able to easily encode or learn new information
they were taught. They also have difficulty figuring out how to
apply this new information when solving problems. Children with
FASD are not typically inattentive and impulsive, but rather they
appear to have more trouble learning new things that they are focusing
on and to experience problems in shifting their attention from one
task to another.
In addition to diagnoses such as ADHD, genetic disorders may need
to be ruled out before a confirmatory diagnosis of FASD is given.
There is no single defining feature of FASD and no conclusive medical
or laboratory test. Proper identification is important, and if your
doctor or community support services is not familiar with this disorder,
it is recommended that you check the links below for referrals if
you think a child may have FASD.
In addition to the above facilities, the March of Dimes publishes the following training program for physicians: 
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome CD
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Tutor
This CD-ROM format utilizes text, video clips and illustrations to provide diagnostic and treatment planning information for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Available for Windows and Macintosh. Continuing Education credits may be available.
To order, call 800-367-6630 or 570-820-8104 (item # 09-1266-99)
or visit the March
of Dimes website.
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Disabilities 
