Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and Pediatric Neurology: Are We Missing the Connection? A Scoping Review

Introduction: Pediatric neurology provides care for children with complex developmental disorders with environmental, genetic, metabolic, and teratogenic etiologies. Common neurodevelopmental conditions include attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder. However, only minimal attention from pediatric neurology journals has been devoted to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. This is surprising because fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is a common neurodevelopmental disorder with a prevalence of between 1% and 5% of school-age children.

Methods: This scoping review had 2 objectives. Objective 1 was to estimate the number of articles reporting on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in 8 well-respected pediatric neurology journals. Objective 2 was to determine how many patients from a single pediatric neurology practice referred to a clinic for diagnosis and management of neurobehavioral disorders received a diagnosis of ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Results: Objective 1, a survey of 8 prominent pediatric neurology journals until January 2024, found that a title and abstract search identified 1786 articles on the three topics. Papers on autism spectrum disorder (n =1043) accounted for 58.4% of the total. Papers on ADHD (n = 685) comprised 38.4% and articles on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (n = 58) contributed just 3.3% of the total.Objective 2, a chart review of 40 patients from a single pediatric neurology clinic who were referred for developmental assessment and management, found that 40% had prenatal alcohol exposure and 20% received a diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. High rates of comorbidity between fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and ADHD of 21% and of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and autism spectrum disorder of 2.5% were found.

Conclusions: Because fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is one of the most common causes of neurodevelopmental disorders, the limited attention to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in pediatric neurology journals is concerning. This study suggests that in addition to ADHD and autism spectrum disorder, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder may also be a common diagnosis in pediatric neurology practice. Pediatric neurology journals may need to take active steps to increase content on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. This could include editorials, invited commentaries, or topical reviews. Early recognition and diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder allows for the implementation of specific interventions, which can improve the quality of life for patients and families.