Diagnostic Accuracy and economic value of a Tiered Assessment (DATA) for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a chronic disability with costly impact on families, as well as educational, health, and justice services. The prevalence of FASD ranges from 1-10%, and is as high as 19% in some remote areas. However, many affected children go undetected. Better early detection systems are needed to deliver interventions that can effectively support structural and functional brain development. Current diagnostic practices involve a lengthy assessment process that extends to multiple days per child and requires specialist expertise. Capacity to identify FASD is restricted because specialist teams are expensive, have 2-year waitlists, and exist only in urban areas. Innovative, flexible solutions are needed to ensure that children in remote Indigenous communities have access to early diagnostic services. Through extensive pilot work and strong partnerships with remote Indigenous communities, our team has co-created an innovative, culturally sensitive, tiered neurodevelopmental assessment that can be conducted in routine primary care. The current project will compare the accuracy of a rapid, tiered assessment protocol to a comprehensive assessment protocol used in Queensland specialist FASD clinics. The cost effectiveness of the tiered assessment will be assessed to further extend translation. The outcome will be (i) an expedient, validated FASD screening and assessment protocol, (ii) a culturally-sensitive protocol that has widespread applicability to remote Indigenous communities, and (iii) reduced costs and economic net benefits for families and health services.