An Interdisciplinary Approach to Increasing Access to Care for Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Main Article Content

Elizabeth Cleveland https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0958-0681
Tiffany Lepard Tassin
Albrey Love
David Deere
Andrew Cope
Jessica Gangluff

Keywords

fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, FASD, interdisciplinary care, access to care

Abstract

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) have a prevalence of roughly 1 in 20, making it one of the most prevalent disorders in the United States (May et al., 2018). However, FASD has a diagnostic rate of less than 1%, resulting in late diagnosis, identification, and intervention (May, Baete, & Russo, 2014; May, Chambers, Kalberg, et al, 2018; Cleveland, Deere, Kyzer, & Smith, 2020). Only a handful of physicians regularly diagnose FASDs, even further decreasing access to care (Manning & Hoyme, 2007). In response, the Specialty Diagnostic Resource Center (SDRC) in Arkansas developed the following interdisciplinary approach to FASD diagnosis. Seventy-seven individuals ages four months to 37 years were evaluated for Other Specified Neurodevelopmental Disability: Neurodevelopmental Disability Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (ND-PAE) between April 2020 and February 2022; 54 individuals were diagnosed. Trends were identified for individuals given a ND-PAE diagnosis and analyzed, with Spearman-rho analysis conducted. As FASDs are widely underdiagnosed, an approach similar to SDRC may assist other interdisciplinary teams in efforts to increase access both to diagnosis and intervention.

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