Our services
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Assessment and Support Service
Alcohol and Pregnancy
Many children and young people have been affected by an alcohol exposed pregnancy, meaning that during their development in the womb, they were exposed to alcohol. There can be many reasons for this, for example some mothers do not know they are pregnant, and may have drank alcohol in the early stages of pregnancy, and other moms may have experienced many stressful life events that have led to using alcohol as a coping strategy. Some mothers don’t know that drinking during pregnancy is harmful.
Causes of FASD
Unfortunately, we know that drinking alcohol during pregnancy can lead to a neurodevelopmental condition called FASD. This is where the prenatal alcohol exposure has affected the child’s brain in many different ways. For example, prenatal alcohol exposure can affect memory, thinking skills, language, adaptive functioning, attention, emotional regulation, and many more brain skills.
Contact Us For Support
If you are a parent, carer, or professional working with a child or young person where prenatal alcohol exposure is known or suspected, please get in touch. We can help you identify the right assessment pathway and answer any questions about funding, eligibility, or what the assessment involves.
We are a CQC registered provider and an Adoption Support Fund (ASF) approved provider, offering assessments for children and young people referred by local authorities, adoption agencies, schools, GPs, and directly by families.
Our FASD Assessment Service
Our FASD assessments are conducted by a specialist multi-disciplinary team: clinical psychologists, a specialist speech and language therapist, and a consultant paediatrician. Together, we assess across all neurodevelopmental domains relevant to FASD, and we also consider how other factors including autism, ADHD, and the impact of early adverse experiences and attachment disruption may be present alongside or contributing to the child’s profile.
All assessments follow SIGN 156 guidance (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network), the leading clinical framework for FASD assessment and diagnosis.
Who we assess
Criteria for assessment
We accept referrals for children and young people where there is a known or suspected history of prenatal alcohol exposure and where the child is presenting with differences or difficulties across neurodevelopmental areas. We assess across the full FASD spectrum, including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), partial FAS, and Neurodevelopmental Disorder associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (ND-PAE).
You do not need a prior paediatric appointment to refer to us. We welcome referrals from:
- Local authorities and social workers
- Adoption agencies and regional adoption agencies
- GPs and community paediatricians
- Schools and educational psychologists
- Directly from families and carers
Areas we assess
- Motor skills
- Growth differences
- Cognition
- Language
- Academic achievement
- Memory
- Attention
- Executive Functioning
- Emotional regulation
- Adaptive behaviour (skills of daily living)
- Social communication
The assessment process in our service involves the following:
- Information gathering review of previous reports, clinical records, and school information prior to assessment.
- School liaison observation for primary school aged children; teacher liaison for all children and young people.Liaison with any other professionals involved.
- Professional liaison contact with other involved professionals where relevant.
- Developmental history interview an in-depth parent or carer interview covering the child’s full developmental history.
A child appointment where they can take part in formal assessments relating to the neurodevelopmental areas outlined above e.g. language, memory. This session will include a clinical psychologist and a speech and language therapist. If the child or young person isn’t able to take part in formal testing, indirect observations may be sufficient, please get in touch to discuss your individual’s needs in more detail. - Child assessment sessions formal assessments of neurodevelopmental areas including language, memory, cognition, attention, and adaptive functioning. Conducted jointly by a clinical psychologist and specialist speech and language therapist.
- Paediatric medical review our consultant paediatrician reviews all assessment findings and conducts a medical review as part of the diagnostic process. (included in Pathway 1 and Pathway 2+ see below)
- MDT formulation the full team reviews and integrates all findings at a multi-disciplinary meeting.
- Report and feedback a comprehensive diagnostic report is produced, and findings are fed back to the family and, where appropriate, to involved professionals. The report includes detailed recommendations for home, school, and any therapeutic support needed.
- Follow-up support further therapeutic intervention is available following assessment, including FASD discovery sessions, identity and emotional wellbeing work, and parent/carer sessions to understand the child’s behaviour through the lens of FASD. We also offer ongoing consultation to schools and professionals relating to FASD.
Assessment Pathways and Fees
We offer three clearly defined pathways. All are clinically equivalent in standard the differences relate to funding route, whether a paediatric review is included, and whether prior testing has already been completed.
Pathway 1
Full MDT FASD Assessment £4,500
Our complete multi-disciplinary assessment, conducted in one integrated clinical episode. Includes neuropsychological assessment, specialist SALT assessment, clinical psychology formulation, paediatric medical review, MDT formulation, integrated diagnostic report, and feedback sessions.
Pathway 2
Integrated Psychology & SALT Assessment £2,500
Funded via the Adoption & Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGF)
A comprehensive psychology-led assessment, funded through the ASF. Includes neuropsychological assessment, specialist SALT assessment, clinical psychology formulation, a detailed psychology report documenting FASD-indicative findings, and a supported referral letter to NHS community paediatrics.
The report clearly sets out findings consistent with FASD. Formal diagnosis is confirmed once a paediatric medical review is completed either via NHS community paediatrics (which we actively support with a strong referral letter) or via Pathway 2+ below.
Suitable for: ASF-funded adoptive families and special guardian (SGO) families.
Pathway 2+ (adding a private paediatric review)
Families on the ASF pathway who wish to receive a confirmed diagnosis without waiting for NHS community paediatrics can add a private paediatric review. The ASF element (£2,500) is claimed as normal; the family pays £2,000 privately. Total: £4,500. Please contact us to discuss this option.
Pathway 3 FASD Diagnostic Completion £1,250
Self-pay — for families with existing neuropsychological testing
Families on the ASF pathway who wish to receive a confirmed diagnosis without waiting for NHS community paediatrics can add a private paediatric review. The ASF element (£2,500) is claimed as normal; the family pays £2,000 privately. Total: £4,500. Please contact us to discuss this option.
Further FASD Support
For additional support with FASD, go to https://fasd.me/ which gives resources to families.
You can also visit the national FASD organisation here: https://nationalfasd.org.uk/