Treatment of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

With fetal alcohol syndrome, treatment can be conducted early in a child's life to help improve his or her outcome. Children who receive such help tend to have improved prognoses and avoid secondary characteristics associated with the condition. Proper treatment is available in the form of educational, behavioral, and social programs.

Treating Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: An Introduction

Fetal alcohol syndrome is a permanent condition, and there is no cure. It affects every aspect of an individual's life and the lives of his or her family.

However, while the disorder cannot be cured, fetal alcohol syndrome treatment is available. For example, people with certain characteristics of fetal alcohol syndrome can be helped with hearing aids or eyeglasses. When they go to school, they may need special help. As children with fetal alcohol syndrome get older, they may need special services and support to help them live on their own (see Living With Fetal Alcohol Syndrome).

Treatment That Improves Outcomes

Fetal alcohol syndrome research scientists have identified several factors that tend to improve the outcome of someone with the condition. Some of these factors include:

Early diagnosis
Involvement in special education and social services
A loving, nurturing, and stable caretaking environment
An absence of violence.

Early Diagnosis

Children who are diagnosed early have an improved fetal alcohol syndrome prognosis. A child who is diagnosed early in life can be placed in appropriate educational classes and given access to social services that can help the child and his or her family. In addition, an early fetal alcohol syndrome diagnosis helps families and school personnel understand why the child might act or react differently from other children in some situations.

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