Web tools to screen children for effects of prenatal alcohol exposure
Official title: Assessment of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Using Novel Web-Based Tools
Funded at San Diego State University · NIH-11369814 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses online tools to check children ages 6–17 for physical, thinking, and behavior signs linked to prenatal alcohol exposure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | San Diego State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Diego, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2003 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $483,833 |
| NIH project number | 5U01AA014834-23 |
| Project ID | NIH-11369814 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children aged 6–17 with known or suspected prenatal alcohol exposure or with learning, attention, behavior, or developmental concerns are the most appropriate candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Infants under age 6, adults, or children whose problems are clearly unrelated to prenatal alcohol exposure (or who cannot complete web tasks) are unlikely to benefit from these specific tools.
What this research studies
If you're worried your child was exposed to alcohol before birth, these web tools let you or your child's clinician record physical and behavior information (FASD-Tree) and complete short online tasks that measure attention, memory, problem-solving, and processing speed (BRAIN-online). The tools are completed on the web and create reports to help clinicians decide if a full in-person evaluation is needed. Using online screening aims to shorten long wait times at specialty clinics and help more children get identified and connected to services sooner. The project focuses on children between about 6 and 17 years old who can complete brief online tasks.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these tools could speed up identification of children affected by prenatal alcohol exposure and help them access diagnosis and services earlier.
How similar studies have gone: Clinic-based screening and neurobehavioral tests have been used to identify FASD, but moving these measures to web-based versions is relatively new and still being tested.
Where this research is happening
-
San Diego State University
San Diego, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mattson Weller, Sarah N — San Diego State University
- Study coordinator: Mattson Weller, Sarah N
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Cellular mechanisms shaping fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
This NIH grant studies how alcohol exposure before birth damages development at the cellular level, with potential to improve understanding and care for individuals affected by FASD.
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Choline Genetics and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Children
This study looks at how genetic differences in choline metabolism affect cognitive and behavioral outcomes in children with prenatal alcohol exposure who may benefit from choline supplementation.
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Data coordination for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders research
A national collaboration coordinates data and sharing to help understand and improve care for children affected by prenatal alcohol exposure and FASD.
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Improved FASD screening for kids using BRAIN-online in Spanish
A web-based, Spanish-enabled screening tool helps identify signs of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in children to guide further evaluation and support.
-
How prenatal alcohol exposure harms hearing development
Researchers are looking at how alcohol exposure during pregnancy changes the brain cells that help process sound in mice, to better understand hearing problems in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
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Prenatal Alcohol Gene-by-Exposure study: how maternal and child genetics influence FASD
A big study will look at genes in mothers and their children to understand why some babies exposed to alcohol before birth develop FASD and others don’t.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.