The purposes of this paper are to increase understanding of the connection between serious emotional disturbances and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and to raise awareness of the unique diagnostic challenges and treatment needs of children who have FASD and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. (The term co-occurring disorder describes the presence of a psychiatric disorder and a disorder such as FASD that is related to substance use.) Robust studies of evidence-based interventions for this population are lacking. The main goal of this paper is to highlight both the lack of such studies and the pressing need for specialized interventions that can help address the challenges faced by children with psychiatric disorders within the FASD population.

The Improving Awareness and Treatment of Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and Co-Occurring Psychiatric Disorders report is provided by Disability Service Center, JBS International