We work for and with children exposed to alcohol or other drugs during pregnancy.
Regional Expertise Service - congenital malformations
Contact usAbout us
Regional Expertise Centre - Congenital Vascular Malformations (RK-MR HSØ) works closely with the child's parents, the municipality, and specialist healthcare services to ensure that children receive the care and follow-up they need. Our main task is to contribute to ensuring that children receive equal access to services regardless of where they live in the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority.
We offer assessment and diagnosis of children and young people in collaboration with the local specialist healthcare services. We also work with information dissemination and competence development.
The service is open and available by phone from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM every day. We receive referrals and assess them continuously.
Discussions can be conducted by telephone or as video consultations.
Contact our consultant,Siv StigenCall 37 07 57 50 to set up such an appointment.
Here you will find some of our articles and publications.
Read our FASD magazine with topics such as the importance of assessment and diagnosis, research, knowledge and understanding of how the right diagnosis leads to the right help.
FASD magazine
Ane J. Rossavik submitted her master's thesis "Measures for Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders" in April 2018. The main supervisor for the work was the head of RK-MR Gro CC Løhaugen, and the co-supervisor was senior advisor at the Norwegian Directorate of Health Gabrielle Welle-Strand, PhD, MD. The master's thesis consisted of a systematic literature review and a qualitative interview study with professionals in Norway who have experience working with FASD. Unfortunately, it still appears that there are few studies focusing on how to help children with FASD. The interviews with Norwegian professionals provide important information about which support measures they have experience with.
: Read the entire master's thesis
RK-MR was invited to write about the establishment of the service and how it is hoped the service will develop for the journal "Substance Abuse." The article was titled:
translation:Establishment of the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority Resource Center for Children with Prenatal Alcohol/Drug ExposureLøhaugen GC, Flak MM, Gerstner T, Sundberg C, Lerdal B, Skranes J. Subst Abuse. 2015 Dec 6;9(Suppl 2):67-75. doi: 10.4137/SART.S23542. eCollection 2015.
: Read the full version of the article
. Regional rehabilitation services for children and young people are an important partner for our expertise service. And in December 2015, RK-MR wrote a blog post on their website titled: Equal opportunities for children with congenital impairments.
Consultant physician and child neurologist Thorsten Gerstner has published three articles on sleep and EEG findings in Norwegian children with FASD. The articles provide important knowledge that is relevant to clinical practice.
translation:First evidence-based guideline for interventions in FASD
Our German partners have recently published the first evidence-based guideline for interventions for FASD. The guideline contains both expert consensus and evidence-based recommendations that, among other things, emphasize the importance of intervention studies for children and adolescents, as well as involving parents and networks in treatment and follow-up.
translation:
Strieker, S., Heinen, F., Ziegler, A., Schmucker, C., Kopp, I., & Landgraf, M. N. (2025). First Evidence-Based Guideline for Interventions in FASD. Neuropediatrics, 56(3), 160–171. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2547-4610.
Download the guidelinesHERE.
Course offerings that can be ordered from RK-MR HSØ:
We offer tailored courses and seminar programs. The programs can be adapted in scope and topic:
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) – Who are these children and how can we best help them?
Clinical picture, assessment, diagnosis, and action planning in the home, kindergarten, and school
: Duration: Half-day or full-day course.
Target group: Parents, employees in kindergartens and schools, Psychological-Pedagogical Service, and municipal health services.
Diagnostic seminar – how to investigate and diagnose children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
: Duration: Two days.
Day one: Clinical picture, prevalence, interdisciplinary assessment with emphasis on method selection.
Day two: Practical introduction to the use of the 4-digit code, room for review of cases.
Target group: Doctors and psychologists working with diagnosis within specialist healthcare services.
The course is being sought for approval as a specialist course for doctors and psychologists.
Intervention Seminar – Children and Adolescents with FASD – Intervention Planning in Home and School, Review of Recent Research on Treatment/Interventions
Duration: Half- or full-day seminar.
Target group: Employees in specialist healthcare services, municipal healthcare services, kindergartens and schools.
RK-MR HSØ has revised its referral form. The form itself has been somewhat simplified, and changes have been made to ensure that the referring party obtains the necessary consents before the referral is sent to us. In practice, this means that the referrer/child welfare services must obtain consent from the biological parents for referral if the child is voluntarily placed in foster care. If there is a transfer of care, child welfare services must consent. We also refer to the information letter to referring parties, which contains useful tips when considering a referral to us.
: Target audience:
Children and young people up to the age of 18 who have been exposed to alcohol and/or other drugs in the womb.
: Who can refer?
Doctors in specialist healthcare services (child and adolescent mental health services, emergency psychiatric services for adults, pediatric outpatient clinic, pediatric ward) can refer.
: How to refer/cite:
Reference to us can consist of a short letter which should include the following information: Information about length, weight, the fetus's age, and head circumference at birth, as well as confirmed exposure to male hormones (type and possible duration). We also request a copy of previous assessments (medical, cognitive) from both first- and second-line services. A description of the issues, function, and what you would like the RK-MR to contribute.
The referral will be assessed within a few weeks, and we will send a response to both parents/guardians and the referring agency.
Waiting time: There is usually a waiting time of 3-4 months, and potentially longer if the referral comes just before the summer holidays. We provide appointment/admission time in the reply letter.
: We offer video consultations where a physical examination is not possible or necessary.
: Video consultation. Please provide the Norwegian text you would like me to translate. I need the text to be able to translate it.
Regional competence service for children with congenital damage works to gather, systematize, and disseminate expertise on the diagnosis, assessment, and follow-up of children exposed to drugs during pregnancy.
We are working to strengthen the quality of services for children exposed to alcohol during pregnancy in the specialist healthcare services in the Helse South-East region. In addition, the competence center will provide a clinical service for assessment and diagnosis.
As a regional competence service, we will primarily assess patients from our own healthcare provider's area, but can also receive and assess patients with particularly complex conditions from other healthcare providers in the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority – when appropriate.
Diagnosis and assessment of patients from other healthcare providers will occur in close collaboration and dialogue with the referring specialist healthcare services.
Arrangements will be made to allow referring specialist healthcare services to send professionals who can participate in these assessments performed at Sørlandet Hospital, so that training of local specialists (hands-on guidance) is ensured to the greatest possible extent. RK-MR HSØ operates in accordance with regional guidelines for competence services in the South-East health region.
Competency Dissemination Plan for Regional Competency Service for Congenital Heart Defects HSØ
Procedure for investigating FASD
Read more about the rights and opportunities for children and young people with disabilities, and their families, in this brochure.
Rights and opportunities. Please provide the Norwegian text you would like me to translate. I need the text to be able to translate it.
We have our own YouTube channel with useful information for you who are going for investigation and treatment at the hospital.FASD Norway
.
Please provide the Norwegian text you would like me to translate. I need the text to be able to translate it.
RK-MR is sometimes contacted by adults who question whether they may have FASD or by their therapists.
Our target group is children and young people up to 18 years old. The habilitation service for adults at Sørlandet Hospital Arendal has developed a procedure with attachments that they use in their work. Psychologist specialist Ina Leistrud Fjærlig has agreed that we can publish the procedure and attachments here.
It is emphasized that if an assessment is to be carried out, both the physician and psychologist should have completed a diagnostic course organized by RK-MR and/or the University of Washington.Online Training for 4-Digit Diagnostic Code (washington.edu).
Both courses are free, and RK-MR's diagnostic course is approved for various specialties through the Norwegian Medical Association and the Norwegian Psychological Association.
: If interested, contactPenelope Stigen: on the phone 37 07 57 55.
HAVO (Adult Rehabilitation SSHF Arendal) can be contacted by phone at 95 23 90 00.
Procedures from HAVO Arendal:
Ethical considerations for adult FASD
Appendix 1 Ethical Considerations for Adult FASD.pdf
Appendix 4 Gathering of Referee Information.pdf
Appendix 6 Neuropsychological Examination.pdf
A knowledge-based professional guideline for the diagnostic assessment of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in childhood and adolescence was revised and sent to all hospitals in Norway for consultation in May 2024. The final revision was completed in August 2024.
Knowledge-based professional guidelinePlease provide the Norwegian text you want me to translate. I need the text to be able to translate it.
Norwegian FASD guideline(english)