Abstract
Fetal alcohol syndrome disorder (FASD) is a syndrome affecting some children whose mothers consumed alcohol while pregnant. The effects of FASD are based on genetic predisposition, level of maternal alcohol consumption, fetal age during alcohol consumption and the over-all health of the mother and fetus. Psychologists have compared FASD with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and found that they differ in two major areas: motor skills and cognitive performance. Without recognizing differences and diagnosing the disorders correctly, doctors may allow symptoms to go untreated. These untreated symptoms may lead to secondary disabilities and result in incorrectly prescribed medications. With more research, doctors may not prescribe ADHD medication for children diagnosed with FASD because they may recognize differences between the disorders and understand how ADHD medication negatively affects them. An accurate diagnosis could lead to better use of ADHD medications as doctors may recognize differences between FASD and ADHD.
Recommended Citation
(2017)
"Differences in Disorders: Secondary Disabilities in the Diagnosis of ADHD and FASD,"
Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology: Vol. 12:
Iss.
1, Article 6.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/intuition/vol12/iss1/6