Development and Evaluation of a Virtual Model for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Assessment and Diagnosis in Children: A Pilot Study

Children (Basel). 2023 Jan 20;10(2):196. doi: 10.3390/children10020196.

Abstract

The diagnostic process for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) involves a multi-disciplinary team and includes neurodevelopmental, physical, and facial assessments and evidence of prenatal alcohol exposure during the index pregnancy. With the increased use of virtual care in health care due to the pandemic, and desire of clinics to be more efficient when providing timely services, there was a need to develop a virtual diagnostic model for FASD. This study develops a virtual model for the entire FASD assessment and diagnostic process, including individual neurodevelopmental assessments. It proposes a virtual model for assessment and diagnosis of FASD in children and evaluates the functionality of this model with other national and international FASD diagnostic teams and caregivers of children being assessed for FASD.

Keywords: fetal alcohol spectrum disorder; fetal alcohol syndrome; neurodevelopment; pediatrics; prenatal alcohol exposure; virtual care.