If you are struggling with a child and wondering if they may have been affected by alcohol in utero, here are a few potential common signs and questions to consider:

• Is there known alcohol use during pregnancy?

• Challenged by ADHD traits

• Processing Speed (has trouble responding in an appropriate way or timeframe)

• Trouble understanding cause & effect / consequences

• Difficulty getting a good night's sleep

• Easily Fatigues

• Medical Complications

• Lives in process-time (in the present movement)

• Struggles to eat well or eating in the middle of the night

• Struggles with short-term and working memory

• Perseverates (Over-focused and not able to let go of an issue.)

• Confabulates (Emotionally fills in gaps, rather than facts / comes across as a lier.)

• Can be impulsive about (...)

• Is often depressed

• Have trouble in school

• Have poor social skills

• Struggles with personal boundaries

• Others can easily take advantage/manipulate them

• Act younger than their chronological age

• Trouble making and/or keeping friends that are their age

• Struggles with self-regulation

The above list is not a neuropsychological evaluation. It is intended only as a starting point to help you understand common FASD traits. There are 428 co-morbidities associated with FASD, so please seek a professional for an official diagnosis.

Below is a helpful comparison chart of diagnoses. Also, Proof Alliance, a Minnesota-based FASD nonprofit, has a more comprehensive test. https://www.proofalliance.org/diagnosis/fasd-test/