The following neurodevelopmental characteristics are commonly associated with FASD. No one or two is necessarily diagnostically significant; many overlap characteristics of other diagnoses, e.g., ADD/ADHD, learning disabilities, and others.

 

 

 

 

Typical primary characteristics in children, adolescents, and adults include:

• Memory problems

• Difficulty storing and retrieving information

• Inconsistent performance ("on" and "off") days

• Impulsivity, distractibility, disorganization

• Ability to repeat instructions, but inability to put them into action ("talk the talk but don't walk the walk")

• Difficulty with abstractions, such as math, money management, time concepts

• Cognitive processing deficits (may think more slowly)

• Slow auditory pace (may only understand every third word of normally paced conversation)

• Developmental lags (may act younger than chronological age)

• Inability to predict outcomes or understand consequences

• Strengths and interests   **see below