Adverse Outcomes
Once considered secondary disabilities, adverse outcomes of FASD are the effects that may occur for an individual with FASD, such as substance abuse or school withdrawl. These outcomes are not directly due to prenatal alcohol exposure and, as a result, may sometimes be prevented with proper interventions, services and environmental care.
- Adverse outcomes common to individuals with FASD are:
- Disrupted school experience (due to academic problems)
- Mental health issues issues sometimes, although researchers are increasingly identifying ways in which prenatal alcohol exposure directly increases the likelihood of mental health issues
- Drug and alcohol abuse
- Trouble with the law
- Difficulty in the workplace
- Victimization and exploitation (financial, sexual, social)
- Displacement during transition into adulthood
A stable, nurturing, and secure home can decrease the risk of developing these secondary adverse outcomes. Children prenatally exposed to alcohol mat be more vulnerable to the impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences, such as exposure to violence, abuse, or loss.Caregivers with an understanding of FASD may have more success in mitigating some of the adverse outcomes that are associated with FASD, possibly due to a combination of meaningful understanding and effective supports. Researchers have found that children who are diagnosed with FASD before the age of 6 experience fewer adverse outcomes than children who are diagnosed later in their lives.
RESOURCES
Secondary Disabilities
Video resource about secondary disabilities and accomodating for all learners in the learning environment (from POPFASD)
What Educators Need to Know about FASD: Working Together to Educate Children in Manitoba with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
FASD overview; common characteristics of FASD; strategies for teachers and parents to assist in meeting the needs of children (from Healthy Child Manitoba)
Secondary disabilities: p. 53
Becoming a Successful Adult Learner
Video webinar with handouts by Lindsay McKerness, Emily Gidden (MSW) and Denise Theunissen (MEd). Profiles the Bow Valley College program in Alberta- transitioning as an adult learner to post secondary schools with supports for learning disabilities. Discusses supports and strategies involved in the program to facilitate the post secondary academic experience and aid in the transition to adulthood (from FASD CMC Alberta)