Abstract
Updated guidelines for the diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) refine diagnostic criteria that were previously issued in 2005. Neurobehavioral impairment, the main disability in FASD, is now required for diagnosis of three of the four FASD subtypes proposed by the Institute of Medicine. Also, domains of neurobehavioral impairment to be assessed are specified. Other improvements include a more detailed definition of prenatal alcohol exposure, a description of resources for reference data on prenatal and postnatal growth and guidance for evaluating craniofacial and other physical abnormalities characteristic of FASD. The validity of the updated diagnostic approach needs to be assessed to determine its accuracy and reliability for diagnosing FASD.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Williams JF, Smith VC. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Pediatrics. 2015;136:e1395–406.
Institute of Medicine, Committee to Study Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Diagnosis and clinical evaluation of fetal alcohol syndrome. In: Stratton K, Howe C, Battaglia F, editors. Fetal alcohol syndrome: diagnosis, epidemiology, prevention, and treatment. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press; 1996. p. 63–81.
Hoyme HE, Kalberg WO, Elliott AJ, Blankenship J, Buckley D, Marais AS, Manning MA, Robinson LK, Adam MP, Abdul-Rahman O, Jewett T, Coles CD, Chambers C, Jones KL, Adnams CM, Shah PE, Riley EP, Charness ME, Warren KR, May PA. Updated clinical guidelines for diagnosing fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Pediatrics. 2016;138:e20154256.
Hoyme HE, May PA, Kalberg WO, Kodituwakku P, Gossage JP, Trujillo PM, Buckley DG, Miller JH, Aragon AS, Khaole N, Viljoen DL, Jones KL, Robinson LK. A practical clinical approach to diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: clarification of the 1996 institute of medicine criteria. Pediatrics. 2005;115:39–47.
Astley SJ, Clarren SK. Diagnosing the full spectrum of fetal alcohol-exposed individuals: introducing the 4-digit diagnostic code. Alcohol Alcohol. 2000;35:400–10.
Cook JL, Green CR, Lilley CM, Anderson SM, Baldwin ME, Chudley AE, Conry JL, LeBlanc N, Loock CA, Lutke J, Mallon BF, McFarlane AA, Temple VK, Rosales T. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: a guideline for diagnosis across the lifespan. CMAJ. 2016;188:191–7.
Watkins RE, Elliott EJ, Wilkins A, Mutch RC, Fitzpatrick JP, Payne JM, O'Leary CM, Jones HM, Latimer J, Hayes L, Halliday J, D'Antoine H, Miers S, Russell E, Burns L, McKenzie A, Peadon E, Carter M, Bower C. Recommendations from a consensus development workshop on the diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in Australia. BMC Pediatr. 2013;13:156.
Astley SJ. Profile of the first 1400 patients receiving diagnostic evaluations for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder at the Washington State Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Diagnostic & Prevention Network. Can J Clin Pharmacol. 2010;17:e132–64.
Astley SJ. Validation of the fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) 4-digit diagnostic code. J Popul Ther Clin Pharmacol. 2013;20:e416–67.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: guidelines for referral and diagnosis. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2004. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fasd/documents/fas_guidelines_accessible.pdf. Accessed 30 Sep 2016.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
Tonia C. Carter and Christopher Cunniff declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent
This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Carter, T.C., Cunniff, C. Revised Guidelines Increase Specificity of Diagnostic Criteria for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Curr Dev Disord Rep 3, 207–209 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40474-016-0096-4
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40474-016-0096-4