0 - 3
3 - 5
6 - 9
10 - 13
14 - 18
Adults
Parent's Manifesto
Diagnosis

Fourteen to Eighteen Years

Physical Findings

The facial features of FAS are less clearly defined or recognisable in adolescence and adulthood.  At this stage a history from childhood is useful particularly if there are some photographs of facial features and also some photographs of the child with friends of the same age.  This enables a comparison to be made with a measure of average development at that age.

• Small for age

• Thin

• mid-face may appear flattened especially in profile

• absent groove under nose

• Heart murmur

• Problems with eyesight

• problems with bones e.g. spine, knees, elbows,

• Problems with sleep, too much too little inconsistent patterns

• More than the usual amount of illness

Communication /Language

• Talks a lot, maybe even too much

• Appears not to hear but has no hearing loss

• Not responsive to subtle facial/body language

• Has problems in following complicated, long, non-specific instructions

• Has problems with instructions which are nor directed at her/him by name

• Has a good vocabulary but speech lacks information and ideas. 

Socialisation/Behaviour

• No sense of personal space.

• Lacks personal boundaries

• Little understanding of social rules and norms

• May be sexually inappropriate

• Can be "talked into" inappropriate behaviour

• May be abused, teased, bullied or "picked on" by other adolescents

• Unable to compromise

• Poor eye contact

• Too trusting

• Overly affectionate with people she/he does not know well

• Withdraws, cuts off or "acts out" when overwhelmed

• May show extremes of behaviour very helpful to very unhelpful in a short space of time

• May be viewed as manipulative

• Reacts badly to and resists change

• Lies or confabulates

• Does not learn consequences of actions so may keep repeating mistakes

• Breaks promises, or agreements

• May have been diagnosed as having a conduct disorder

• May truant from school

• Very demanding of people's time and attention "burns out" people

• Likes intense experiences but is at risk as she/he cannot "work through the consequences of actions

• May bully or frighten others

• Acts in ways which put self or others at risk

• Would not recognise a sexual advance

• Would not know how to protect her/himself from a sexual advance

• May wander off without telling anyone where she/he is going

• Does nor recognise danger

• Cannot be left in charge of an older sibling, needs adult care at all times

• Unable to be left unsupervised

Attention/Activity

• Easily distracted

• Acts on impulse

• Fidgets, constantly moving e.g. foot swinging, kicking, throwing things

• Work is disorganized, messy and careless

• Always seems to be losing things

• Gets tired very easily especially if having to focus attention

• "Audible thinker" thinks it - says it

Memory

• Information seems to slip in and out -here today, gone tomorrow back again three days later

• Forgets how to do something she/he knows well

• Problems with remembering dates, times, phone numbers, tasks

• Inability to remember appears to be deliberate but is not

• Forgets what she/he is supposed to do in the middle of doing it

• Forgets to turn off cooker, lock doors etc

• Has difficulty separating fact from fantasy

• Lies even when the evidence is overwhelming 

• Visual memory is better than auditory

• Long term memory better than short term

• Forgets to take medication

• Needs constant reminders to carry out daily events/tasks

Cognition

• Known or suspected learning difficulties
• Below average adaptive behaviour scores
• Difficulties with maths
• Problems with language comprehension
• Problems in concept formation e.g. time, money, rules
• Difficulty grasping new ideas
• Concrete thinker
• Difficulty seeing alternatives or compromises
• Difficulty making choices tends to stick with the first choice
• Doesn't make connections between physical state and required act e.g. cold, dark, hungry=time to go home
• Does not understand connections in the larger world e.g. seasons/weather/climate Can't see that relationships exist in the absence of visual proof
• Often frustrated
• Unable to ask for help even in a crisis
• May still be unable to tell time and has no sense of time can't tell the difference between 10 minutes and 1 hour
• Labelled as lazy, immature unmotivated
• Problems understanding right from wrong
• Day to day functioning is poorer than would be predicted