Understanding the Methods for Diagnosing FASD

The process of diagnosis for a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and the terminology used within the spectrum may be confusing to those not close to the subject. First the term, FASD, itself has not been used as an actual diagnostic term but rather as a blanket term for a number of more specific conditions caused by alcohol exposure in pregnancy. Second, the reasons or purposes for pursuing this diagnosis vary. The diagnosis might be sought to establish that alcohol was the teratogenic (an agent that can disturb the development of the embryo or fetus causing developmental malformations) cause of the problem. More often, however, the diagnosis is sought to determine if the patient has an elusive form of brain damage that has lead to his/her behavioural and adaptive problems. If that is so, it makes the diagnosis important for intervention and perhaps to understanding a defendant’s criminal intentions in a court. The diagnosis can be made for either reason, but does not necessarily need to be made for both. In some cases proving, as best as possible, that alcohol was the principal cause of the individual’s problems is the issue, but at other times identifying that brain damage has contributed to behavioural problems, no matter the cause or causes, is the true point of the exercise. This brief chapter is presented in the hope that it can help legal and other non-medical professionals to understand the tasks involved in reaching a diagnosis of FASD.