Mathematics intervention for children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A replication and extension of the math interactive learning experience (MILE) program.
Six weeks of short, scripted math tutoring lifts math scores for kids with FASD, especially older children with lower IQ.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team gave the kids with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder six weeks of one-on-one math tutoring.
Each child met a tutor twice a week for 30 minutes at home or in a clinic.
The lessons used the Math Interactive Learning Experience, a scripted program that breaks problems into tiny steps and gives quick praise.
Kids took a short math test before and after the six weeks.
A second group of the kids with FASD got no math help and only the tests.
What they found
The tutored group gained 7 to 10 more math points than the no-help group.
Older kids and kids with lower IQ scores made the biggest jumps.
No one got better at memory, language, or other school skills—only math.
How this fits with other research
Pitetti et al. (2007) also saw fast math gains when foster-home peers tutored at-risk girls for just three minutes a day.
Both studies show brief, focused drills work, even when the teacher is a trained peer instead of a paid tutor.
Wiskow et al. (2018) used the Good Behavior Game to cut disruptive acts of a preschooler with FAS.
That paper and this one target the same diagnosis but different problems—behavior versus math—so they stack, they don’t clash.
Lim et al. (2022) warn that FASD screens often miss kids or give mixed results.
Because screening is shaky, Kully-Martens et al. (2018) wisely used clinic exams to confirm FASD before tutoring began.
Why it matters
You now have a ready-made six-week math boost for clients with FASD.
Ask the school or parents for 30-minute slots, twice a week.
Start with older kids or those with lower IQ first—they gained the most here.
Track only math scores; don’t expect spill-over to memory or language.
Pair the lessons with a class-wide Good Behavior Game if disruptive behavior also shows up.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) experience deficits in behavior, cognition, and academic functioning resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Although receiving intervention for developmental disabilities is a strong protective factor against negative outcomes in FASD, intervention research in this population is in its infancy. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend a mathematics intervention, the Math Interactive Learning Experience (MILE) program, which was developed in the USA specifically for children with FASD. METHODS: Twenty-eight Canadian children aged 4-10 years with confirmed PAE or an FASD diagnosis were assigned to either the MILE intervention or a contrast intervention. RESULTS: Following a relatively brief, individualized, one-on-one intervention, children in the MILE group demonstrated significantly greater changes in math achievement compared to the contrast group. Significant changes in other cognitive functions were not observed. Older age, lower IQ, and confirmed PAE but no FASD diagnosis were associated with greater math achievement change in the MILE group. CONCLUSIONS: The replication and extension of the math intervention appears to have significant, positive impact on mathematics achievement scores of children with PAE and FASD.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2018 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2018.04.018