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Balancing the story of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A narrative review of the literature on strengths

For many years, researchers have explored the complex challenges experienced by individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). This research has been important for documenting the brain‐ and body‐based impacts of prenatal alcohol exposure and the psychosocial vulnerabilities and environmen...

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Autores principales: Flannigan, Katherine, Wrath, Andrew, Ritter, Chantel, McLachlan, Kaitlyn, Harding, Kelly D., Campbell, Alanna, Reid, Dorothy, Pei, Jacqueline
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: John Wiley and Sons Inc. 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9299043/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34716704
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/acer.14733
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author Flannigan, Katherine
Wrath, Andrew
Ritter, Chantel
McLachlan, Kaitlyn
Harding, Kelly D.
Campbell, Alanna
Reid, Dorothy
Pei, Jacqueline
author_facet Flannigan, Katherine
Wrath, Andrew
Ritter, Chantel
McLachlan, Kaitlyn
Harding, Kelly D.
Campbell, Alanna
Reid, Dorothy
Pei, Jacqueline
author_sort Flannigan, Katherine
collection PubMed
description For many years, researchers have explored the complex challenges experienced by individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). This research has been important for documenting the brain‐ and body‐based impacts of prenatal alcohol exposure and the psychosocial vulnerabilities and environmental adversities frequently associated with FASD. It has also supported advocacy efforts and highlighted the necessity of providing FASD services and supports. However, with the focus on deficits and needs, there is a considerable gap in the literature on the strengths and successes of individuals with FASD. The lack of strengths‐based FASD research has likely perpetuated the stress and stigma experienced by individuals with FASD and their families. Thus, there is a critical need to shift the direction of the field. Here we provide a narrative review of the literature on strengths in FASD. Our goals are to: (1) understand the state of strengths‐based research related to individuals with FASD across the lifespan, and (2) describe positive characteristics, talents, and abilities of individuals with FASD that may be cultivated to promote their fulfillment and well‐being. We identified a total of 19 studies, most of which were conducted to explore the lived experiences of adults with FASD. This preliminary but critical body of evidence highlights the intrinsic strengths of individuals with FASD, including strong self‐awareness, receptiveness to support, capacity for human connection, perseverance through challenges, and hope for the future. Despite the importance of this emerging evidence, appraisal of the literature indicates a need for more intentional, methodologically rigorous, participatory, and theory‐driven research in this area. Findings from this study, including the identified gaps in the literature, can be used to inform research, practice, and policy to meaningfully advance the field of FASD and promote positive outcomes in this population.
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spelling pubmed-92990432022-07-21 Balancing the story of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A narrative review of the literature on strengths Flannigan, Katherine Wrath, Andrew Ritter, Chantel McLachlan, Kaitlyn Harding, Kelly D. Campbell, Alanna Reid, Dorothy Pei, Jacqueline Alcohol Clin Exp Res Reviews For many years, researchers have explored the complex challenges experienced by individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). This research has been important for documenting the brain‐ and body‐based impacts of prenatal alcohol exposure and the psychosocial vulnerabilities and environmental adversities frequently associated with FASD. It has also supported advocacy efforts and highlighted the necessity of providing FASD services and supports. However, with the focus on deficits and needs, there is a considerable gap in the literature on the strengths and successes of individuals with FASD. The lack of strengths‐based FASD research has likely perpetuated the stress and stigma experienced by individuals with FASD and their families. Thus, there is a critical need to shift the direction of the field. Here we provide a narrative review of the literature on strengths in FASD. Our goals are to: (1) understand the state of strengths‐based research related to individuals with FASD across the lifespan, and (2) describe positive characteristics, talents, and abilities of individuals with FASD that may be cultivated to promote their fulfillment and well‐being. We identified a total of 19 studies, most of which were conducted to explore the lived experiences of adults with FASD. This preliminary but critical body of evidence highlights the intrinsic strengths of individuals with FASD, including strong self‐awareness, receptiveness to support, capacity for human connection, perseverance through challenges, and hope for the future. Despite the importance of this emerging evidence, appraisal of the literature indicates a need for more intentional, methodologically rigorous, participatory, and theory‐driven research in this area. Findings from this study, including the identified gaps in the literature, can be used to inform research, practice, and policy to meaningfully advance the field of FASD and promote positive outcomes in this population. John Wiley and Sons Inc. 2021-11-16 2021-12 /pmc/articles/PMC9299043/ /pubmed/34716704 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/acer.14733 Text en © 2021 The Authors. Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Research Society on Alcoholism. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/This is an open access article under the terms of the http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non‐commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
spellingShingle Reviews
Flannigan, Katherine
Wrath, Andrew
Ritter, Chantel
McLachlan, Kaitlyn
Harding, Kelly D.
Campbell, Alanna
Reid, Dorothy
Pei, Jacqueline
Balancing the story of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A narrative review of the literature on strengths
title Balancing the story of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A narrative review of the literature on strengths
title_full Balancing the story of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A narrative review of the literature on strengths
title_fullStr Balancing the story of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A narrative review of the literature on strengths
title_full_unstemmed Balancing the story of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A narrative review of the literature on strengths
title_short Balancing the story of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A narrative review of the literature on strengths
title_sort balancing the story of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: a narrative review of the literature on strengths
topic Reviews
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9299043/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34716704
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/acer.14733
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