Comparison of three systems for the diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in a community sample.

These results indicate a lack of consistency in these approaches to diagnosis. Discrepancies result from differences in specifying the criteria used to define the diagnosis, including growth, physical features, neurobehavior and alcohol-use thresholds. The question of their relative accuracy cannot be resolved without reference to a measure of validity that does not currently exist and this suggests the need for a more empirically based diagnostic schema.