Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is difficult to detect in young children and therefore may be underestimated in prevalence data. This detection issue could contribute to why FASD has unique developmental trajectories compared to other Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (NDD).

The ARCH Lab contributed to a paper titled “Teacher-Reported Prevalence of FASD in Kindergarten in Canada: Association With Child Development and Problems at Home” which examined prevalence data in kindergarten children with FASD and their developmental outcomes using data taken from the Early Development Instrument between 2010 and 2015.

The paper found that the prevalence of FASD ranged from 0.01 to 0.31%. Additionally, teachers reported more home problems among children with FASD which influenced their classroom functioning. Finally, when compared to children with other NDDs, children with FASD had higher mean scores on the developmental domains used in this study.

Results of the current study can help to inform strategies and policies for early identification and intervention of FASD.