Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

lperry94
Oct 31, 2020
1 min read

Updated: Nov 20, 2020

(Also known as FASD)

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is an umbrella term used to refer to the damage or range of disabilities caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy. These disabilities are lifelong conditions that affect the individual, the family and the community.

There are many disorders that fit in the umbrella term of FASD: fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), partial fetal alcohol syndrome (pFAS), alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD), and alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND).

Students with FASD often have problems with behaviour and learning. These children might have low body weight, hyperactive behaviour, attention difficulties, speech and language delays, learning disabilities, poor memory and many more. The problems last a lifetime. However early intervention services can reduce some of the effects of FASD and may prevent some secondary disabilities. These services include therapy to help the child walk, talk, and interact with others.

Not two people with FASD are exactly alike so services and activities should be different depending on the symptoms. We need to realize that everyone is different and needs to be helped according to their needs.

Activities to do with students with FASD:

Play hopscotch. Hopscotch works both fine and gross motor skills and increases social skills when played in a group. So grab some chalk and start playing.
Create some art with the chalk. Practice writing, draw some pictures or play tic-tac-toe.