REQUEST A FREE
CONFIDENTIAL ASSESSMENT

Fetal Alcohol Disorder or ADHD?

By Staff Writer

Is your child impulsive, restless or out of control? Do you suspect your child may have attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? Before jumping to conclusions, make sure you get an accurate diagnosis. Recent research shows that ADHD is often confused with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), which require a different type of treatment than ADHD.

Symptoms of FASD

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders occur because a child’s mother drank alcohol during pregnancy, causing physical, mental, behavioral, and/or learning disabilities in as many as 40,000 babies each year. FASD is characterized by:

• Abnormal facial features
• Central nervous system problems
• Difficulties with mathematical skills
• Difficulties with memory or attention
• Poor school performance
• Poor impulse control
• Small size for gestational age or small stature in relation to peers
• Poor coordination
• Hyperactive behavior
• Learning disabilities
• Developmental disabilities (e.g., speech and language delays)
• Mental retardation or low IQ
• Problems with daily living
• Poor reasoning and judgment skills
• Sleep disturbances

Knowing the Difference Between FASD and ADHD

A recent study published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research indicates that FASD is often confused with ADHD. Children with FASD are often initially diagnosed with ADHD and have a high risk of psychiatric problems including ADHD.

"Behaviorally, FASD and ADHD can look quite similar, particularly with respect to problems with very limited attention, physical restlessness, and extreme impulsivity," study author Rachel Greenbaum, a clinical psychologist with the Children's Mental Health Team at Surrey Place Centre in Toronto, said in a news release.

Although the behaviors are similar, experts warn that the underlying cognitive mechanisms and causes of FASD and ADHD are quite different.

"For example, children with ADHD experience social problems because of poor self-regulation rather than deficient knowledge of appropriate social behavior. In other words, a child with ADHD may accurately recite social rules, but fail to apply them,” explained Piyadasa W. Kodituwakku, associate professor of pediatrics and neurosciences at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.

After assessing the social cognition and emotion processing abilities of three groups of children, Greenbaum and her colleagues found that overall, children with FASD have a harder time interpreting the mental state and emotions of others and experience more severe behavioral problems than children with ADHD, including more antisocial behaviors, such as cheating, stealing and acting young, as well as sociopathic behaviors like lying and stealing.

Finding Treatment for ADHD and FASD

Although FASD and ADHD share many attributes, the conditions are different in a few very important ways. As such, accurate diagnosis and treatment are essential for treating children with either condition.

While children with ADHD and those with FASD both will benefit from social skills training, the researchers advise that children with ADHD should focus on translating what they already know into action while children with FASD may need to build specific cognitive skills before learning how to practice appropriate actions.

There are a number of specialized camps and therapeutic boarding schools for children with ADHD and related issues. For example, Talisman Camps are particularly successful with ADHD kids because they are highly structured with a small staff-to-camper ratio, and emphasize social skills training and interpersonal interactions. In specialized ADHD camps, children are surrounded by peers who can relate to their challenges, as well as caring staff members who know how to empower young boys and girls with special needs.

For more long-term treatment and social skills training, boys with ADHD may benefit from a stay at Stone Mountain School, a therapeutic boarding school in North Carolina. This ADHD school features an industry-leading academic program, neurological-based therapies for ADHD, Orton-Gillingham multi-sensory language instruction, and weekly individual and group therapy. With a specialized focus on boys with ADHD, Stone Mountain School has proven highly effective in improving its students’ social skills, academic performance and self-confidence.

Whether a child is diagnosed with FASD or ADHD, early diagnosis and treatment can help ensure they avoid some of the most debilitating antisocial and behavioral problems and achieve their full developmental and educational potential.