Evidence and Sources

How we use evidence

FASD Compass is based mainly on UK clinical guidance. Where we use a figure or a recommendation, we try to name the source on the same page. We keep clinical guidance separate from practical tips based on experience.

Main UK guidance

• SIGN 156: Children and young people exposed prenatally to alcohol. Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network. Published January 2019, revalidated 2022. SIGN currently notes that some recommendations may be out of date.
• NICE Quality Standard QS204: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Published March 2022. A quality standard for England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements.
• UK Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines. Department of Health and Social Care, 2016.

Figures used on this site

• About 3.2% of babies born in the UK are affected by FASD. Estimate quoted by SIGN.
• Up to 172,000 people in Scotland may be affected. Estimate quoted by SIGN.
• 1.8% of children had FASD, or 3.6% including possible cases, in three Greater Manchester primary schools. McCarthy R, Mukherjee RAS, Fleming KM, et al. Prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Greater Manchester, UK: an active case ascertainment study. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 2021;45(11):2271-2281. A small study of 220 children aged 8 to 9. The authors say a larger study is needed before the figures can be applied to the whole population.
• 90% or more of people with FASD also have a mental health or neurodevelopmental diagnosis. Flannigan K, Pei J, McLachlan K, et al. Responding to the unique complexities of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Frontiers in Psychology. 2022;12:778471. An estimate based mainly on studies in specialist clinics, foster care and justice settings, so the figure for everyone with FASD may be lower.
• 428 conditions that co-occur with FASD, across 18 of 22 ICD-10 chapters. Popova S, Lange S, Shield K, et al. Comorbidity of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet. 2016;387(10022):978-987.

Information for families

• National FASD. UK charity offering information and support.
• SIGN: information about FASD assessment. Booklet for families.

Review dates