Interventions to Help Patients With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

Please respond to the discussion below. Thank you.

A. Create a case study presentation for a client between the ages of 8 and 17 years of age based on your assigned diagnosis. Describe the symptoms that meet the criteria for the diagnosis, and include pertinent medical, educational, and family history.

L.T., an eight-year-old female, presents with her adoptive parents for behavioral and learning concerns. Adoptive mother reports that teachers have been complaining that L.T. has been having trouble concentrating, sitting still, waiting her turn, and doesn’t play well with her peers. L.T. has been struggling in math and doesn’t seem to be learning at the same pace as her other peers. Adoptive parents reported that L.T was taken away from her biological mother at birth for drug and alcohol abuse during her pregnancy. Adoptive mom denied any current or past medical concerns except for feeding problems as an infant. Upon physical examination, the PMHNP noted that the patient had a small head circumference, ptosis, skin folds at the corner of her eyes, a short nose, and a thin upper lip. L.T. appeared to be very fidgety and hyperactive.

B. Based on the case, identify pharmacologic and/or nonpharmacologic treatments you would recommend. Provide support from a scholarly source to support your decision

One essential nonpharmacological treatment that would be beneficial to L.T. and her parents are to refer them to get psychoeducation and behavior management training (Wozniak, Riley, & Charness, 2019). Another nonpharmacological treatment that is essential to children or adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is called Math Interactive Learning Experience, an educational resource, that is designed to help with mathematical disabilities (Wozniak, Riley, & Charness, 2019). Lastly, a pharmacological intervention that could assist or help manage L.T.’s hyperactivity and difficulty concentrating would be to prescribe methylphenidate (Wozniak, Riley, & Charness, 2019). According to the CDC, there is no specific medication used to treat FASD, but there are many medications that could be used to help manage or improve the symptoms that patients with FASD may face (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022).

C. Describe a minimum of two referrals you would make for the client and include your rationale.

As the PMHNP, I would make a referral to a therapist to assist in psychoeducation and behavioral training for the parents. This type of therapy could help educate the adoptive parents of L.T.’s diagnosis and teach them how to appropriately deal with and gain skills to cope with her behavior concerns (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Another referral that is essential to make would be to a learning facility that specialize in teaching patients with FASD. Providing this referral will allow L.T. to get the specialized help she needs to improve her skills in math. According to the CDC, having deficits in math are greatly common among patients with FASD (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Lastly, a case management referral would be another vital resource to L.T. and her family, as a case manager could help provide and location additional resources that would be beneficial to them.

D. Identify at least one complementary and alternative therapy (CAM) that you would recommend if requested by the parents. Describe this therapy and identify which therapies would be contraindicated.

Two complementary and alternative therapies (CAM) to recommend for L.T would be creative art and animal-assisted therapy. According to the CDC, creative art and animal-assisted therapy are a few of the many alternative therapies used for patients with FASD (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Creative art therapy uses different forms of art like dancing, painting, music, drawing, and ECT to help patients learn how to positively express their emotions and enhance their social skills (Shafir, Orkibi, Baker, Guassk, & Kaimal, 2020). These therapies could essential help L.T. improve her social skills, and or assist with anger, focus, and concentration.

E. Provide one resource you would recommend to parents and include your rationale.

A parent support group for children with FASD is one resource that would be recommended to L. T’s parents. This support group could provide them with the emotional and social support needed to deal with parenting a child with FASD. Moreover, L.T.’s parents could obtain other beneficial resources while attending this support group.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). FASDs: Treatments. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www(dot)cdc(dot)gov/ncbddd/fasd/treatments.htmlLinks to an external site.

Shafir, T., Orkibi, H., Baker, F., Guassk, D., & Kaimal, G. (2020). Editorial: The State of the Art in Creative Arts Therapies. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00068

Wozniak, J., Riley, E., & Charness, M. (2019). Clinical presentation, diagnosis, and management of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The Lancet Neurology, 18(8), 760-770. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(19)30150-4