Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Behavior Screening Tool

To gain access to the FASD BeSt screening tool click on the link above.

FASD BeSt Administration and Scoring Instructions

To gain access to the Administration and Scoring Instructions click on the link above

Behavioral Profile Comparisons: FASD and ADHD

In spite of gains our understanding of the behavioral and emotional symptoms associated with prenatal exposure to alcohol (PEA), diagnosis and treatment continue to be problematic.  Children and their parents often struggle through years without an understanding of the confusing behavioral and emotional dysfunctions associated with PEA.  Andrews and Porter (2004) compared behavioral profiles of children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or confirmed PEA without the facial features (FAE) with children complete or partial agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC).  A one-way ANOVA  showed a significant difference between the Behavioral Trait Survey (BTS) total scores (p<.0001) for the groups.  Participants diagnosed with FAS rated the highest (M=106.24) on the BTS.  Participants with ACC rated the lowest (M=51.82) and those with FAE fell in between (M=95.07).  The current study added a third comparison group of participants diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The  groups were age equivalent.  A one-way ANOVA resulted in a main effect for diagnosis (p<.0001).  Participants diagnosed with FAS (M=83.86), FAE (M=77.83) and ADHD inattentive (M=81)  scored highest on the BTS.  Those in the control group (M=17) or with a diagnosis of ADHD hyperactive (M=1) had significantly lower scores.  These two groups were not significantly different from participants with complete ACC (M=48.33).  Several main effects were found between diagnostic groups on the CBCL for the individual scales.  Main effects were not found between diagnostic groups using the CBCL externalizing T score, but were found for the internalizing T score (p,.0001).  Participants in the ADHD hyperactive group (M=21), the partial ACC group (M+23) and the control group (M=46) scored significantly lower than the other groups.  These results add additional support for the use of the BTS as a screening tool for possible FAS/E.  It also suggests that there are subtle behavioral differences between people with PEA from those with some forms of ADHD and ACC.  This understanding has implications for treatment choices.