Evidence-Based
For Teachers & Schools

Every Child Can Learn With the Right Environment

Children with FASD require adapted teaching approaches to thrive in the classroom.

FASD School Support Toolkit

📝Classroom Support Plan Generator
Tick what you notice across ten areas and get an editable plan to download as PDF or Word.

Create a plan
❓What Does This Behaviour Mean?
Choose a common classroom difficulty to see what might be behind it and what helps.

Open the guide
🧭School Support Pathways
SEN support, ALN and additional support for learning in each UK nation, and how these differ from safeguarding.

See the pathways
🗂️Templates and downloads
Pupil profile, adjustments checklist, visual timetable, transition template, home-school sheet and review form.

Open the toolkit

Classroom Strategies

📚 Pei et al. (2016); Blackburn & Whitehurst (2010)
Environment & Seating
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  • Seat near the teacher and away from distractions
  • Reduce visual clutter in the workspace
  • Allow fidget tools and movement breaks
  • Provide a calm-down space they can access independently
Instructions & Communication
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  • Give one instruction at a time and check for understanding
  • Use concrete, literal language. Avoid sarcasm and idioms
  • Pair verbal with visual cues
  • Allow extra processing time before expecting a response
Routines & Transitions
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  • Use a consistent visual daily timetable on the desk
  • Give advance warnings before transitions
  • Prepare for changes in routine the day before
  • Use a "now and next" board for anxious learners
Assessment & Workload
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  • Break tasks into small, manageable chunks
  • Allow oral responses instead of written where possible
  • Extra time for tests and assessments
  • Avoid copying from the board. Provide pre-printed notes
Behaviour & Regulation
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  • Avoid punitive approaches. Focus on scaffolding
  • Identify triggers and create a regulation plan with the family
  • Use a calm-down space, not exclusion as punishment
  • Confabulation (making up stories) is neurological, not lying

If You Are Concerned: Steps for Schools

📚 Based on SIGN 156 Section 2.1.4, NICE QS204 Statements 3–4, and GIRFEC principles
1
Speak to the Child's Parent or Carer First
If you have concerns about a child's learning, behaviour, or development that might be linked to prenatal alcohol exposure, approach the family sensitively. Ask open questions about the child's history, health, and any known concerns. Do not make assumptions. Many children with FASD are adopted or in foster care and birth history may not be known.
2
Involve the SENCO
Refer to your school's Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) as a first step. The SENCO can coordinate support, initiate an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or statutory assessment, liaise with external specialists, and ensure interim strategies are documented and reviewed.
3
Ask for a Health Assessment When It Is Needed
NICE QS204 Statement 3 says children and young people with probable prenatal alcohol exposure and significant physical, developmental or behavioural difficulties are referred for assessment. Schools do not diagnose FASD and should not guess about alcohol exposure. Share what you have noticed with the parents or carers, and agree who will contact the GP, school nurse or health visitor. Speak to your designated safeguarding lead only if you are worried a child is being harmed or is at risk of harm. See SEN support and safeguarding. Do not wait for a diagnosis before putting support in place.
4
Contribute to the MDT Assessment
Teachers and educational psychologists are valued members of the FASD assessment team (SIGN 156 Section 3.7). School reports, observations of the child's performance and behaviour across contexts, and information about learning progress are essential to the assessment process. Provide written information when requested and attend multi-agency meetings where possible.
5
Implement the Management Plan
After diagnosis, NICE QS204 says children and young people with FASD have a management plan to address their needs (Statement 5). Schools should be active participants in developing and implementing this. Ensure strategies are reviewed regularly, especially at key transitions (new class, new school, secondary transfer). SIGN 156 emphasises reassessment at all transition stages throughout the young person's life.
💡
Remember: Inconsistency is Neurological
SIGN 156 describes the FASD learner profile as one of pervasive and long-standing brain dysfunction. A child performing well one day and struggling the next is not being manipulative. This variability is common in FASD. Assessment must reflect the child's typical performance, not their best day.

Free Resources for Schools

🤝 From National FASD's page for educators
🏫For teachers and SENCOs
• "Teaching a Student with FASD", with a PDF version for the whole school
• "FASD in Focus" guides: characteristics by age, education profile and tips for educators
• Primary and Secondary Frameworks by Dr Carolyn Blackburn
• "Virtual Schools and FASD"

Get the school resources. Dr Blackburn's free video talk, "Identifying the child with FASD in educational settings", is in Raja and Neil's FASD Book Club.
🧒For your pupils
FASD.me helps young people understand their diagnosis and find coping strategies. Its "Me and My FASD" interactive comic has a school section to help pupils work out what helps them in class.