Supporting Students with FASD: What Teachers Should Know
What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)?
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a brain-based, lifelong neurodevelopmental condition caused by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Students with FASD may have normal or even high intelligence but can still struggle with memory, emotional regulation, behaviour, and learning. FASD is often a hidden disability, and students with it may require lifelong support. Click here to find out more.
International research suggests there could be at least one student with FASD in every Australian classroom. Many students with FASD do not respond to traditional classroom management strategies, which is why educators play a crucial role in adapting their teaching practices to meet these students’ diverse needs.
Why recognising FASD in the Classroom Matters
Children with FASD often experience:
- Working memory difficulties
- Poor impulse control and emotional regulation
- Challenges with executive functioning and abstract thinking
- Developmental delays
- Difficulty maintaining peer relationships
- Trouble generalising skills and learning from consequences
Dysmaturity
Although students with FASD may have strong verbal language, their developmental age may differ to their chronological age. For example, a 10-year-old may function socially or emotionally more like a 5-year-old. This uneven profile can make classroom behaviour seem inconsistent or confusing.
Key Insights for Teachers and Teaching Staff
- FASD is brain-based – Traditional behaviour management strategies often don’t work.
- Dysmaturity – Development is uneven. Strong verbal skills (expressive language) can mask deeper learning difficulties.
- Structure helps – Consistent routines reduce anxiety and improve regulation.
- Expect variability – Skills may be mastered one day and forgotten the next day.
- Strengths-based teaching works – Focus on what students can do.
- Team support is essential – Students with FASD thrive with wrap-around support from families and professionals.
Six things educators and school staff should know about FASD
The maturity and development of children with FASD can be uneven and confusing. Strong abilities in certain areas, such as expressive language (the way they talk), can hide impairment in other areas. For example, a ten year old child with FASD may only have the developmental age of a five year old. Children with FASD are more successful learners when teachers use a strength-based approach.
Managing challenging behaviours in adolescents with FASD
In the episode of Learning with FASD, NOFASD Director, former educator and Foster carer- Christine Brooks shares her expert insights on managing challenging behaviours in adolescents with FASD.
Learning with FASD – a suite of evidence-based resources to help educators understand and support children with FASD in Australian primary schools. Learning with FASD has also recently expanded to include a new suite of resources specifically for secondary school educators, providing tools and strategies tailored to adolescents with FASD.
Recognising Common Signs of FASD in the Classroom
Each child is unique, but common learning and behavioural challenges may include:
- Learning difficulties – slower progress or inconsistent understanding
- Impulsivity – acting without thinking
- Attention deficits – often misdiagnosed as ADHD
- Social challenges – difficulty maintaining friendships
- Poor memory – able to recall information one day but not the next
- Delayed milestones – slower speech, motor, or cognitive development
Teaching Strategies for Students with FASD
- Break tasks into small, clear steps
- Repeat instructions and use visual cues
- Minimise distractions and sensory overload
- Provide frequent breaks and movement opportunities
- Celebrate small successes and offer positive reinforcement
- Collaborate closely with support staff and families
The Role of Early Childhood Educators
Early years educators are key to early identification and intervention. Research shows that early support leads to better long-term outcomes. The “Through Different Eyes” resources are especially helpful for this sector and are grounded in lived experience and current evidence.
Educator Guide
"Through Different Eyes"
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a name given to a range of brain-based impairments that result from alcohol exposure when a fetus is in the womb. Often described as a hidden disability, a person with FASD will need lifelong support, including during the early stages of development.
The Educator Guide explains what FASD is, how it occurs, its characteristics, and diagnostic criteria and pathways. Because FASD is a spectrum-based disorder, children will have different support needs. The “Through Different Eyes” This Educator Guide offers educators access to a combination of research-based evidence and stories of lived experience designed to enlighten them as to the varied ways that FASD may present, and how they can best support children with FASD and their families. The resources include:
- case studies
- resources
- images
- videos and reflective scenarios
- subject matter experts
- practical and achievable strategies.
“Through Different Eyes” has been developed with the knowledge that evidence shows that individuals with a neurodevelopmental disorder such as FASD who receive appropriate support at an early age will have better long-term outcomes than those whose disability goes unrecognised and unsupported. Intervention is most effective in the early years because this is a critical period of childhood development. If neurodevelopmental disorders are recognised early, tailored interventions can be undertaken at that time to support a child and provide them with a solid platform for their ongoing development.
Those working within the early childhood education and care sector play a significant and vital role in supporting children and families as they navigate their way through the first years of life. NOFASD Australia and Early Childhood Australia have, in partnership, developed a comprehensive suite of resources designed to offer early childhood professionals research-based strategies designed to meet the diverse needs of children with FASD.
The suite of resources has been designed to help build educator knowledge, skills and understanding, but will also prove useful for families where a child has either diagnosed or suspected FASD.
There are four elements in the “Through Different Eyes” suite of resources and can be downloaded via the link below.
This work is supported by the Australian Government Department of Health
Other Australian Resources for Educators
This four-part module from the WA education department examines how Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) impacts on learning
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and complex trauma: A resource for educators
Supporting School-age Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder – a guide for teacher, parents and carers
The SECCA App – This digital app supports the development of knowledge and skills in navigating sexuality & relationships across the lifespan. Each lesson plan is linked to the Australian National Curriculum and the ABLE WA curriculum.
FASD: From Isolation to Inclusion in Australian Schools 2016 Thesis authored by Dee Basaraba
What Teachers Can Do – List of resources from FASD Hub Australia
International Resources for Educators
Trying Differently Rather Than Harder (US) The neurobehavioral approach for working effectively with children, adolescents and adults with FASD. **highly recommended reading
Behavioural Symptoms and Accommodations for FASD
– This new resource from NZ provides strategies to support teachers provide an inclusive classroom and meet the learning needs of students with FASD. It is a suitable guide for all teachers anywhere!
Hey teacher (NZ)
Educating Children and Young People with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Constructing personalized pathways to learning (UK). Blackburn C, Carpenter B, Egerton J. 2012
The Eight Magic Keys of Success – short video series from WRAP Schools
What Educators Need to Know about FASD – Working Together to Educate Children in Manitoba with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Final Note for Teachers
With the right understanding and support, students with FASD can thrive in the classroom. NOFASD Australia is here to support educators, schools, and families with the tools and knowledge needed to build inclusive and supportive learning environments.