The online system developed by SDSU researchers can help detect signs of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. It could help make screening part of everyday health care.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders affect about 1 in 20 people and are typically diagnosed at 4–6 years of age, around the time of school entry. These conditions, which include fetal alcohol syndrome and alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder, carry lifelong effects, and in many cases go undiagnosed.
In a new paper, Sarah Mattson, San Diego State University professor of psychology and co-director of SDSU’s Center for Behavioral Teratology, published a web-based tool that aims to increase accessibility to screening services and help people get diagnosed more quickly. Below, Mattson answers questions about BRAIN-online, a tool that allows people, including those in remote areas or without access to specialized facilities, to test for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders online in their own homes.