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Published on: August 5, 2017
Development of Canadian screening tools for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
Y Ingrid Goh1, Albert E Chudley, Sterling K Clarren
1The Motherisk Program, Division of Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario.
Background:
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is the most common cause of neurobehavioural handicap in North America. Screening for FASD may facilitate diagnosis and hence management of these children. We present a variety of screening tools for the identification of children at risk for FASD.
Methods:
We critically reviewed and evaluated published and practiced methods for their potential of screening suspected cases, their epidemiological characteristics (sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values) [Phase I], as well as their feasibility [Phase II].
Results:
The following five tools were selected for the FASD screening toolkit: screening fatty acid ethyl esters in neonatal meconium, the modified Child Behaviour Checklist, Medicine Wheel tool, Asante Centre Probation Officer Tool, and maternal history of drinking and drug use.
Conclusions:
The toolkit for FASD screening aims at screening different populations, from the newborns to youth and at-risk mothers. It is anticipated that the toolkit will facilitate diagnosis of FASD.
