{"h1":"My child was just diagnosed with FASD — what should I do first?","faq":[{"a":"FASD is a lifelong condition, but it is very supportable. With early, well-matched help — structure, therapy and understanding caregivers — children build communication, attention, emotional and daily-living skills, and many thrive far beyond early expectations.","q":"Is FASD curable?"},{"a":"It depends on your child's profile, but a mix often helps over time: speech and language therapy for communication, occupational therapy for sensory and daily-living skills, and behaviour and learning support. A developmental assessment shows which supports your child needs first.","q":"Which therapies usually help a child with FASD?"},{"a":"Yes — sharing it early helps. Children with FASD do best with structure, short clear instructions and predictable routines, and teachers who understand the diagnosis can support rather than misread behaviour.","q":"Should I tell my child's school about the diagnosis?"},{"a":"Arrange a full developmental profile of your child. FASD affects every child differently, so understanding your child's specific strengths and challenges is what makes every later support effective.","q":"What is the single most important first step?"}],"lang":"en","slug":"my-child-was-just-diagnosed-with-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-what-should-i-do-first","title":"FASD Diagnosis: What To Do First","entity":{"key":"fasd","kind":"condition","name":"Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder","slug":null},"lenses":[{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"Parent","value":"parent"},{"kind":"domain","label":"Adaptive","value":"adaptive"},{"kind":"intent","label":"Support","value":"support"},{"kind":"lifecycle","label":"Plan","value":"plan"},{"kind":"route","label":"Special-Education","value":"special-education"},{"kind":"empowerment","label":"Family Empowerment","value":"family_empowerment"}],"parent":{"key":"conditions","label":"Conditions"},"related":[{"lang":"en","slug":"why-does-early-intervention-matter-for-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder","title":"Why Early Intervention Matters for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-long-term-outlook-for-a-child-with-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder","title":"What is the long-term outlook for a child with FASD?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-is-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-supported-through-therapy","title":"How Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Is Supported Through Therapy"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-can-i-expect-as-my-child-with-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-grows-up","title":"Growing up with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder"},{"lang":"en","slug":"where-should-i-start-to-get-help-for-a-child-with-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder","title":"Where should I start to get help for a child with FASD?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-best-way-to-parent-and-guide-a-child-with-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder","title":"How to Parent and Guide a Child with FASD"}],"summary":"After an FASD diagnosis, the most helpful first steps are to keep the report safe, arrange a full developmental profile to map your child's specific strengths and challenges, build a small steady team of supports over time, talk to the school early, and look after yourself. With early, well-matched support — structure, communication therapy and understanding caregivers — children with FASD build skills and thrive. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","answer_md":"*A diagnosis is not the end of a road — it is the moment your child's strengths come into focus and a clear plan begins.*\n\n## In short\nFirst, breathe — a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) diagnosis means you now have a name for the way your child's brain works, and that opens the door to support that genuinely helps. Your most useful first steps are simple: gather the report, arrange a developmental assessment to map your child's profile, and start building a small, steady team around your family. FASD is lifelong, but with early, well-matched support children build skills, confidence and routines that help them thrive.\n\n## Your first practical steps\n- **Keep the diagnosis report safe and read it slowly.** Note which areas were flagged — learning, attention, memory, movement, speech, behaviour or daily-living skills. This becomes the map for support.\n- **Arrange a full developmental profile.** FASD affects different children very differently, so the next step is understanding *your* child's specific strengths and challenges — not a generic checklist.\n- **Build your team gradually.** Most children benefit from a mix of supports over time: speech and language therapy for communication, occupational therapy for sensory and daily-living skills, and behaviour and learning support. You do not need everything at once.\n- **Talk to your child's school early.** Children with FASD often do best with structure, short clear instructions, predictable routines and patient repetition. Sharing the diagnosis helps teachers support rather than misread behaviour.\n- **Look after yourself.** This is a lot to absorb. Lean on family, parent groups and your care team — a steady, calm carer is one of the strongest protective factors for a child with FASD.\n\n## What helps most\nThe research is consistent and hopeful: structure, early support and understanding caregivers make a real difference. Children with FASD do best when the adults around them adjust expectations to the child's brain — using visual routines, breaking tasks into small steps, reducing sensory overwhelm, and responding to difficulties as *skills to teach* rather than *behaviour to punish*. Therapy focuses on building communication, attention, emotional regulation and independence in everyday tasks, always at your child's pace.\n\n## The Pinnacle way\nAbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional — never from an app or online form. With over [25 million therapy sessions and 4.95 lakh+ families supported](/), our clinicians build a precise developmental profile for your child through a structured, [clinician-administered assessment](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated), then shape a plan across [speech, occupational and behaviour therapy](/occupational-therapy) tailored to how your child learns best.\n\n## Trusted sources\nWHO ICD-11 guidance on neurodevelopmental and prenatal-exposure conditions; American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) family guidance on developmental support; CDC information on FASDs and family-centred care.\n\n**Next step —** You don't have to plan this alone. [Book a developmental assessment with a Pinnacle clinician](/occupational-therapy) to map your child's strengths and a clear way forward.\n\nThis is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","canonical":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-was-just-diagnosed-with-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-what-should-i-do-first","editorial":{"reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T20:12:18.613642+00:00","reviewed_by":null,"developed_by":"SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network"},"alternates":[{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-was-just-diagnosed-with-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-what-should-i-do-first","lang":"en","indexable":true},{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/my-child-was-just-diagnosed-with-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-what-should-i-do-first-te","lang":"te","indexable":true}],"dimensions":[{"key":"conditions","label":"Conditions"}],"meta_title":"FASD Diagnosis: What To Do First | Pinnacle","meta_robots":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large","everyday_tip":"Use short, clear instructions and predictable daily routines — break tasks into small steps and use pictures or visual reminders, which help a child with FASD feel secure and succeed.","published_at":"2026-06-10T12:56:00.519845+00:00","reading_paths":[{"key":"understand","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"how-does-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-affect-a-child-s-daily-life","title":"How FASD Affects a Child's Daily Life","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-considered-a-disability","title":"Is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder considered a disability?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"is-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-genetic-or-hereditary","title":"Is FASD Genetic or Hereditary?","reason":"Same topic"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-are-common-myths-about-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder","title":"Common Myths About Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder","reason":"Same 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skills — and watch how your child copes with routine, transitions and new instructions, as these guide which supports help most.","authority_links":[{"url":"https://www.cdc.gov/fasd/about/index.html","label":"CDC — About Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders"},{"url":"https://www.healthychildren.org","label":"AAP HealthyChildren.org — family developmental support"},{"url":"https://icd.who.int","label":"WHO ICD-11 — neurodevelopmental conditions"}],"last_reviewed_at":"2026-06-10T12:56:00.519845+00:00","meta_description":"Just received an FASD diagnosis for your child? Here are calm, practical first steps — assessment, building support and helping your child thrive.","related_materials":[],"related_techniques":[]}