Project report
Increasing Access to FASD-Informed Care: Bringing an Adapted Intervention to Mental Health Providers.
Petrenko CLM, Myers J, Tapparello C, Cole LL, Roth A et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This report describes the systematic adaptation of an evidence-based intervention called Families Moving Forward (FMF) to help mental health providers better serve youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). An estimated 1 in 4 children in mental health care have undiagnosed FASD, but few providers receive training or feel competent to address it. The researchers used a 6-step implementation science framework and consulted with 18 mental health providers to adapt the intervention into FMF Connect Pro, which was found to be acceptable and feasible for diverse settings. A clinical trial is now underway to test the program.
Key points
- An estimated 1 in 4 children seeking mental health care have undiagnosed fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
- Few mental health providers feel competent to serve children with FASD or have received training
- The FMF Connect Pro program adapted an existing evidence-based intervention using a 6-step Intervention Mapping-Adapt framework
- 18 community mental health providers endorsed high acceptability of the adapted program in focus groups
- Implementation science methods identified capability, opportunity, and motivation as key factors for provider behavior change
Limitations
This report describes the adaptation and planning process but does not provide outcome data on whether the adapted intervention actually improves mental health outcomes for youth with FASD. The acceptability assessment was based on provider focus groups rather than implementation data or child-level outcomes.
Abstract
Background An estimated 1 in 4 children seeking mental health care have an undiagnosed fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Few mental health providers receive training or feel competent to serve this population. Evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for FASD have low uptake across mental health settings. Objective This study aimed to systematically adapt an EBI to increase access to care for youth with FASD in mental healthcare settings, resulting in the innovative Families Moving Forward (FMF) Connect Pro program. Method A multidisciplinary planning group employed the theoretically-driven implementation science framework, Intervention Mapping-Adapt (IM-Adapt). This 6-step process incorporated multiple information sources, including literature review, theory, clinical wisdom, and focus groups. 18 community mental health providers participated in focus groups to assess the fit of the adapted program. Data were analyzed with rapid qualitative methods using the COM-B model (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation) of behavior change and Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) for coding and interpretation. Results Step 1: Planning group developed a logic model of change. Step 2: Review of EBIs, selecting the Families Moving Forward (FMF) intervention and two training methods: Extension of Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) and Self-Directed modular approaches. Steps 3&4: Planning group identified needed adaptations for providers with low utilization of FASD-informed care and flexible use in diverse settings. Focus group participants reviewed prototypes of the resulting FMF Connect Pro program, endorsing high acceptability. TDF determinants across domains of capability, opportunity, and motivation were highlighted as contributing factors to provider behavior change. Step 5: Implementation/evaluation plans were developed. Conclusions Results reveal the FMF Connect Pro program was deemed acceptable and appears a promising method to expand FASD-informed care. A clinical trial is now underway (Step 6). Additionally, this study models an IM-Adapt approach that could be applied to increase broader adoption and implementation of EBIs.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- FMF Connect Pro program, an adapted evidence-based intervention using ECHO and self-directed modular training approaches to build provider capacity
- Population
- Community mental health providers (18 participated in focus groups); intended for youth with FASD in mental health settings
Key finding
Focus group participants endorsed high acceptability of the FMF Connect Pro program
CLM et al. · Europe PMC · 22 Jul 2026