Educational Services for Youth with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Caregivers’ Perspectives

The purpose of this study was to identify services that caregivers of youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder believe would help youth with FASD succeed in school. Sixteen caregivers participated in telephone interviews that included the question: “What services would help youth be successful in school?” A concept mapping technique was employed, in which responses were grouped together by participants and the grouping data was analyzed using multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. Six concepts emerged from the question about services, including the following: (1) being heard by educators, (2) FASD-informed educators, (3) involvement in child’s education, (4) resources and accommodations, (5) supportive knowledge base, and (6) support and understanding at home. Concepts were compared to the existing literature.