Module 4: FASD Signs and Symptoms
Signs and Symptoms: Adults (18+)
As adults, issues and concerns may include:
- Residential and job placement, job training and support
- Depression and suicidal thoughts
- Social and sexual exploitation
- Pregnancy or fathering a child
- Unpredictable behavior
- Withdrawal and isolation
- Homelessness
- Substance abuse and mental illness
- Arrest, incarceration, and other legal problems
- Violence and abuse
This population's cognitive and behavioral characteristics may propel some of them into the
correctional system. Ironically, the structure provided within the correctional setting often
provides relief.6 However, the setting may also result
in increased victimization and physical harm.
Some adults with an FASD can hold down jobs for many years, graduate from high school and
college, and have successful relationships. These adults usually have had early intervention,
a strong support network, and a great deal of supervision and advocacy in areas that may cause
difficulty for them, such as managing money.
Even with support, adults with an FASD face many challenges. For example, a young man with FAS has an IQ of 70, one point too high for developmental disabilities
services in his State. He has problems with math and money, he cannot drive,
he has problems writing, and he needs constant supervision.
Due to the lack of knowledge about FASD, many adults are mistakenly thought to be bad, lazy, or manipulative. The truth is that they often appear more capable than they are. They talk better than they think. If caregivers do not understand this, the inability to follow through might be viewed as willful. But these individuals may be operating at a level well below their age group.
The timeline below depicts the developmental age for various functional areas of a hypothetical 18-year-old. His chronological age does not correspond to his developmental age in these areas. This example represents the kind of variability seen in adolescents with an FASD.
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