Foster & Adopted Children with FASDs

A greater number of children in foster care, kinship care, and adoption systems, particularly international adoptions, are known to have  fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). It is important to acknowledge the feelings associated with learning of the diagnosis. However, it is also important to shift your focus from blaming the biological mother to working with your child's medical home provider to determine his or her best course of treatment.

Your child may have arrived through foster care or adoptive processes with a diagnosis of an FASD. However, for some children―especially children from international adoptions―it may be difficult to obtain any historical information and evaluation results to inform the evaluation process, such as verifying amount and presence of prenatal alcohol exposure. You will need to work with your child's medical home provider as well as his or her adoption or foster care service provider to determine as much as possible about prenatal and postnatal experiences.

Additional Resources:

  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: FAQs of Parents & Families

  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CDC.gov)

  • The Basics of FASDs: Information for Families (PDF)

  • Diagnosing FASDs: What Families Need to Know (PDF)

  • Living with FASD: Strategies for Daily Living (National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome [NOFAS])

  • Circle of Hope (Birth Mother's Network) (National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome [NOFAS]) 

  • Teaching Students with FASDs: Building Strengths, Creating Hope (Alberta Learning)

  • Making a Difference: Working with Students Who Have FASDs (Yukon Education) 



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