ACADEMIA Letters Difculties in Diagnosing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in the Judicial System Aleefa Devji, Antarctic Institute of Canada Peter Anto Johnson, Antarctic Institute of Canada John Christy Johnson, Antarctic Institute of Canada Jasrita Singh, Antarctic Institute of Canada Austin Mardon, Antarctic Institute of Canada Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) refers to the broad spectrum of disabilities and negative consequences that stem from exposure to alcohol in utero. The spectrum of develop- mental disabilities that FASD individuals face are cognitive, physical, and psychosocial, while the severity of the delays and developmental changes are a result of the amount of exposure and the time of exposure to alcohol in utero. As a relatively new concept to the justice system, specifcally for legal professionals, there are a number of unanswered questions in regard to the prevalence, diagnosis and long-term efects of FASD. It is considered a mental disorder that must be diagnosed by a physician, although a diagnosis can only take place if there is admission from the mother that she con- sumed alcohol during pregnancy (Pei, 2010). As a result, many individuals with FASD go undiagnosed. This has been a difcult issue for physicians, due to the stigma surrounding the overuse and abuse of alcohol, which will likely prevent individuals from coming forward and admitting their alcohol use during pregnancy. In any case, the diagnosis of FASD is best undertaken by a team of individuals to focus on diferent aspects of the individual. Two key areas for assessment during diagnosis are fa- cial features, and brain development or injury (Badry & Bradshaw, 2010). The latter gives more information to the prevalence of FASD with the help of brain scans, which enable doc- tors to make the connections between alcohol afected brain development and the behaviours Academia Letters, June 2021 Corresponding Author: Peter Anto Johnson, paj1@ualberta.ca Citation: Devji, A., Johnson, P.A., Johnson, J.C., Singh, J., Mardon, A. (2021). Difculties in Diagnosing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in the Judicial System. Academia Letters, Article 1158. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1158. 1 ©2021 by the authors — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0