A:Timely
and correct diagnosis is crucial because it leads to early and
appropriate intervention that may reduce some of the psycho-social
manifestations of this disorder. Your first line of defense is
special education and psychological services (consultation and
therapy). You may go back to your physician to ask for pharmacological
intervention, if the need arises, but your main partners in remediation
should be a special ed teacher and a psychologist. Children with
FAS/FAE qualify for special ed services under the category "other
health impaired," "learning disabled," and some
other classifications (in NY State, at least). Some of them may
need as little as Resource Room tutoring and school-based counseling.
Some may need a self-contained placement and a number of services,
including speech, OT, and specialized counseling. At different
age levels FAS has somewhat different manifestations, but what
stays with FAS children at any age are behavior problems (ranging
from restlessness/inattentiveness to serious behavior conduct
disorder). Different degrees of "learning disability"
are found in almost all children diagnosed with FAS/FAE. A psychologist
with a cognitive-behavioral background may help you with managing
the child at home (through consultation and/or therapy, if needed)
and monitoring his/her progress in school. The real problem is
that many symptoms of FAS may be found only later in the child's
life: the absence of "classical" features of FAS does
not mean the absence of the disorder.
