Special Education

Teaching Students with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Behaviour	Misinterpretation	Accurate Interpretation
Noncompliance	Wilful misconduct Attention seeking Stubborn	Difficulty translating verbal directions into action Doesn’t understand
Repeatedly making the same mistakes	Wilful misconduct Manipulative	Cannot link cause to effect Cannot see similarities Difficulty generalizing
Often late	Lazy, slow Poor parenting Wilful misconduct	Cannot understand the abstract concept of time Needs assistance organizing
Not sitting still	Seeking attention Bothering others Wilful misconduct	Neurologically based need to move while learning Sensory overload
Poor social judgment	Poor parenting Wilful misconduct Abused child	Not able to interpret social cues from peers Does not know what to do
Overly physical	Wilful misconduct Deviancy	Hyper or hypo-sensitive to touch Does not understand social cues regarding boundaries
Does not work independently	Wilful misconduct Poor parenting	Chronic health problems Cannot translate verbal directions into action

1994, Debra L. Evenson, MA; Reproduced with permission