Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder resources for educators working within primary school settings: a scoping review protocol

Abstract

IntroductionMany children affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) exhibit neurocognitive delays that contribute to secondary consequences, including a disrupted school experience. Educators often have limited knowledge or experience in the identification, referral, management and accommodation of students with FASD. Effective resources and tools for educators are crucial to ensure these students are supported in their ongoing learning, development and school participation. This scoping review aims to identify and evaluate resources for educators that aid in the identification, management, or accommodation of students with FASD.Methods and analysisA search will be conducted in 9 peer-reviewed and 11 grey literature databases, Google search engine, two app stores and two podcast streaming services (planned search dates: November 2020 to February 2021). Relevant experts, including researchers, health professionals and individuals with lived experience of FASD, will be contacted in February and March 2021 to identify additional (including unpublished) resources. Resources will be selected based on registered, prespecified inclusion–exclusion criteria, and the quality of included resources will be critically appraised using a composite tool based on adaptions of the National Health and Medical Research Council FORM Framework and the iCAHE Guideline Quality Checklist. Relevant experts will also be requested to provide feedback on included resources.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval for this scoping review was obtained from the University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee (2020/825). Results of the review will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication, conference presentations, and seminars targeting audiences involved in the education sector.Trial registrationOpen Science Framework: osf.io/73pjh.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder resources for educators: A scoping review

“…Ethical approval was provided by the University of XXX Human Research Ethics Committee (2020/825). The pre‐registered review protocol 13 was informed by frameworks developed by Arksey and O’Malley, 14 Levac et al 15 and the Joanna Briggs Institute 16 which organise the review process in six stages. Details of each stage are available in the published protocol 13 and briefly described below and in the Supplement.…”

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder resources for health professionals: a scoping review protocol

“…An iterative process will inform the comprehensive search approach. 5 First, keywords will be identified by conducting an initial search of one bibliographic database and some grey literature to ascertain search terms and keywords that are utilised in the article title, abstract or study description. Next, we will identify synonyms of these keywords and subject headings for each database to be searched.…”

“…FASD is a form of acquired brain injury which occurs in utero and manifests as a neurodevelopmental disorder and as a term, it collectively describes a range of prenatal alcohol exposure-related symptoms including stunted growth, physical and behavioural abnormalities, birth defects, craniofacial anomalies and neurodevelopmental impairments. 5–7 FASD is often referred to as an invisible disability as only 10% of people have the facial features, 8 with most scoring in the low-average range of intellectual ability. Individuals with FASD experience learning and academic challenges, behavioural issues, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, problems with physical health, mental health, speech, motor skills, hearing and vision impairments.…”

A brief overview of fetal alcohol syndrome for health professionals

“…Access to training on how to provide preventative interventions through motivational interviewing has been proven to reduce this risk (Schölin et al, 2021a). Schools and Early Years Professionals also need to be aware of the condition to ensure that children are assessed and receive the appropriate support (Lees et al, 2021). When asked about alcohol consumption people are not always able to provide an accurate answer, either they may not recall accurately or underestimate.…”

“…One form of long-lasting damage that can be caused by alcohol is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), also known as part of the umbrella term Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome affects individuals and families in a variety of ways including neurological (Lamb, et al, 2019) social (Lees at al, 2021) and physical complications (May et al, 2015), it is important to raise awareness, consider preventative strategies, and the possibility of mitigating further damage (Stade et al, 2009). Prevalence of FASD is difficult to determine (Schölin et al, 2021b).…”