Need Assessment among Caregivers of Children and Adolescents with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Results of the Nationwide German Survey

IntroductionThe aim of this paper is to provide a protocol for a systematic review assessing the effectiveness of evidence from randomised controlled trials comparing fetal alcohol spectrum disorders pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions with placebo/dummy interventions or usual standards of care in children and adolescents (<18 years old).Methods and analysisThe following electronic databases will be searched: Medline (Ovid), Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Plus with Full text (EBSCO), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Cochrane Library—Wiley), PsycINFO (ProQuest) and Proquest DissertationsandTheses will be searched from inception to March 2017 for relevant citations of published trials using individualised search strategies prepared for database. We will also search the reference lists of relevant articles and conference proceedings. Two reviewers will independently assess each study against predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria and extract data including population characteristics, types and duration of interventions and outcomes from included trials. Internal validity will be assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. Primary outcome measures will be improvements in symptoms, including: hyperactivity, impulsivity and attention as measured by standard rating scales. Secondary outcome measures will include improvements in physical and mental health domains, as well as cognitive, behavioural, social and educational skills as measured by rating scales, standardised psychometric tests of IQ and memory, grade repetition, literacy tests and diagnosis of mental health disorder.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval will not be obtained since it is not required for systematic reviews as there are no concerns regarding patient privacy. The results of this review will be disseminated through publication in a peer-review journal and presented at relevant conferences.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42013005996.

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Comparing Executive Functioning in Children and Adolescents With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and ADHD: A Meta-Analysis

Journal of Attention Disorders ◽

10.1177/1087054715622016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 23 (14) ◽

pp. 1801-1815

Author(s):

Jennifer E. Khoury ◽

Karen Milligan

Keyword(s):

Executive Function ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Basic Research ◽

Research Assessment ◽

Fetal Alcohol ◽

Spectrum Disorders ◽

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum

Objective: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are associated with a range of neurocognitive impairments. Executive functioning deficits are a hallmark feature of both disorders. Method: The present meta-analysis was undertaken to disentangle the behavioral phenotype of FASD and ADHD by quantitatively differentiating executive functioning differences between these two groups. The current meta-analysis reviews 15 studies comparing children and adolescents with FASD and ADHD to typically developing (TD) samples, on a variety of executive function measures. Results: Results indicate that when compared with TD samples, FASD and ADHD samples demonstrate significant executive function deficits ( d = 0.82 and d = 0.55, respectively). In addition, FASD samples experience significantly greater deficits when compared with ADHD samples ( d = 0.25). Results were moderated by IQ and socioeconomic status. Conclusion: These findings further our understanding of the cognitive differences between FASD and ADHD samples and have the potential to influence future basic research, assessment, and intervention.

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