Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is when a baby is exposed to alcohol before they are born. PAE can change how a baby’s brain and body grow, changing how they think and act. People with PAE may be diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) if they have significant difficulties with at least three different skills – thinking and reasoning, school skills or memory.

We want to learn about children with PAE and their caregivers and educators in Manitoba. Often, these children are described as having challenging behaviors, including trouble with lying, bullying and inattention. We plan to see whether these challenging behaviors change based on whether the child is a girl or a boy, whether they have another disorder, whether they have physical differences associated with FASD and other factors. We also want to see if caregiver factors, like the gender of the caregiver and the number of children in the home, affect the child’s behaviour.

We also want to learn whether challenging child behaviors are due to skill difficulties (e.g., memory, learning) that the children need help with.

What we learn from this study will help us at the Manitoba FASD Centre better support families and educators of children with PAE. This study will help us help adults to see children’s behaviors more positively.