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Eye Test for Fetal Alcohol Disorder
November 29, 2005

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Research Summary

A test that relies on eye movement could help doctors identify children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), according to researchers at Queen's University in Ontario.

No diagnostic tests now exist to distinguish FASD from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but researchers James Reynolds and Courtney Green from the Queen's University Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and the Center for Neuroscience Studies said a study involving 25 children found that those with FASD has distinct brain abnormalities that could be detected with an eye-movement test.

"Having a set of tests that can be used as diagnostic tools for fetal alcohol syndrome and all of the other behavioral disorders classified under the broader term fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is tremendously valuable," said Reynolds. "Now we can begin to identify specific deficits in these children."

Green added that the objective test would help physicians overcome cultural and language barriers to diagnosis.

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