Project
IQ – It Just Doesn’t Matter: The Role of Adaptive Functioning in Individuals with FASD
Principal Investigator: Diane Russell, phone: 250-758-1003, email: drdi@shaw.ca
Start/End Date: data analyzed collected 1989 – 2002; study 2002 – 2003; can be added to from there on when time allows
Location: Vancouver Island, BC
Brief Description: This study is a retrospective file review of clients seen in the private practice office of Dr. Diane L. Russell between 1989 and 2002. Data were collected with regard to the cognitive and adaptive functioning levels of 45 individuals (aged 4 years, 9 months to 20 years, 11 months) who had been diagnosed with FASD. Nearly all of the referrals came through the Ministry of Children and Family Development. There were 25 females and 20 males. The individuals lived in communities on Vancouver Island (mostly Nanaimo and north) and in Powell River. Many of the children were in foster care.
The results revealed that all 45 individuals had adaptive functioning levels below their overall cognitive skills levels. The differences between the overall cognitive ability levels and the adaptive skill levels ranged from 6 to 56. In no cases were the adaptive skill levels higher than the overall cognitive ability levels. 39 of the 45 individuals had overall adaptive skill levels at or below 70 (i.e., within the “developmentally disabled” range). However, only 17 of the 45 individuals had overall cognitive skill levels in this same range.
The results of the study point to the necessity of assessing the adaptive functioning levels of individuals with FASD. This is a critical part of the overall neuropsychological evaluation of individuals with FASD.
Time Frame: recent
Type of Project: research; database
Population Served: urban, suburban, and rural
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