Spot and Support Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)

A child who never seems to do what they're asked, makes the same mistake every day and panics when the lesson changes can look like a behaviour problem. For some, the cause is foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), a lifelong condition that often goes undiagnosed. Many children with it have no physical signs at all.

Once you know what FASD does to memory, attention and impulse control, those behaviours start to make sense, and the strategies follow. Give instructions in small chunks and repeat them calmly, use visual prompts with photos of the child rather than symbols, try social stories, and offer a fresh start every morning. There's advice on the teenage years too, when trusting everyone can put a young person at risk.

Families have often been judged already. You'll find advice on working warmly with parents and carers, and on telling them about progress, however small.