Where to start getting help for a child with FASD

When you know your child is living with FASD, the most important first step is simply this — reaching out, because the right team can change everything.

In short

Start with one developmental assessment that maps your child's whole profile — how they learn, communicate, move, regulate emotions and manage daily life. From there, a coordinated plan brings together the right mix of speech, occupational, behavioural and learning support, with your family at the centre. FASD affects each child differently, so support is built around your child's unique strengths and needs — and starting sooner gives that support the most room to help.

Where to begin, step by step

• Begin with a full developmental review. Because FASD can touch many areas — attention, learning, language, motor skills, emotional regulation and everyday independence — a single structured assessment gives you a clear picture rather than chasing each difficulty separately.
• Bring your history. Sharing what you know about the pregnancy and your child's early development helps the clinician understand the whole story and shape the most useful plan.
• Expect a team, not a single therapy. Children with FASD usually benefit from a coordinated mix — speech and language therapy, occupational therapy for sensory and daily-living skills, and behavioural and emotional-regulation support — woven together rather than working in silos.
• Loop in your paediatrician. FASD often needs medical follow-up too, so therapy works best alongside ongoing paediatric care.
• Build the home and school bridge. The most powerful support continues in everyday routines, so parent coaching and working with your child's school are part of the plan.

What helps most

Children with FASD do best with patient, structured, predictable support and clear routines. The goal is never to "fix" your child but to understand how their brain learns best and build skills and confidence around their strengths — at school, at home and in friendships.

The Pinnacle way

This is general information, not a diagnosis — a clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care. Across 70+ centres in 4 states our team of 700+ therapists builds one coordinated plan from a precise developmental profile, drawing on occupational therapy and other supports shaped to your child.

Trusted sources

WHO ICD-11 guidance on neurodevelopmental conditions; CDC resources on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and early support; American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) on coordinated developmental care.

Next step — Ready to take that first step together? Book a developmental assessment with a Pinnacle clinician.