Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

If you are concerned that your child may have a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, discuss your concerns with your family doctor.  Your doctor will make a referral to a pediatrician or other specialist, who may then make the referral for the assessment service. 

Before seeing a pediatrician, you may wish to gather information from your child’s school to share with the doctor. This may include reports from school psychologists, counselors, occupational or speech-language therapists, teachers or learning assistance programs. 

Vancouver Island Children's Assessment Network (VICAN) is only able to assess children and youth who have already used some local services and are having significant difficulty in school, with friends, and at home. Any information you have will help the pediatrician determine whether your child may be eligible for the assessment service. 

What to expect on your visit

Referral Process

Referrals for evaluation of developmental conditions such as FASD or other significant and complex needs are accepted only from medical specialists such as pediatricians or psychiatrists.

Assessment Process

A staff member will contact you to schedule appointments once the referral is received and eligibility has been checked. 

Your child will be assessed by a team of specialists. Therefore, you may need several appointment dates. 

Before the appointment dates, a social worker or service coordinator will contact you for more information and answer any questions you may have. 

You will be asked to provide any information you already have about your child, such as school reports, school psychologist evaluations, speech-language or occupational therapy reports. 

You may also be asked to complete questionnaires about your child’s development.

Depending on where you live, the assessment may take place over a few days or a few weeks, but the specialized team involved will be similar: a developmental pediatrician or psychiatrist, psychologist, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, and social worker or other service coordinator.

After the assessment is complete, the information will be shared with you along with any suggestions for interventions, strategies, future planning, or referrals to other services that may be useful. There may be an opportunity for school meetings or other information sharing, depending on each situation.