These disabilities often emerge over time due to a mismatch between the primary disabilities and environmental expectations; secondary disabilities can be ameliorated with early interventions and appropriate supportive services.Six main secondary disabilities were identified in a University of Washington research study of 473 subjects diagnosed with FAS, PFAS (partial fetal alcohol syndrome), and ARND (alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder):
Mental health problems: Diagnosed with ADHD, Clinical Depression, or other mental illness, experienced by over 90% of the subjects
Disrupted school experience: Suspended or expelled from school or dropped out of school, experienced by 60% of the subjects (age 12 and older)
Trouble with the law: Charged or convicted with a crime, experienced by 60% of the subjects (age 12 and older)
Confinement: For inpatient psychiatric care, inpatient chemical dependency care, or incarcerated for a crime, experienced by about 50% of the subjects (age 12 and older)
Inappropriate sexual behavior: Sexual advances, sexual touching, or promiscuity, experienced by about 50% of the subjects (age 12 and older)
Alcohol and drug problems: Alcohol use disorder or dependence, experienced by 35% of the subjects (age 12 and older)Two additional secondary disabilities exist for adults:
Dependent living: Group home, living with family or friends, or some sort of assisted living, experienced by 80% of the subjects (age 21 and older)
Problems with employment: Required ongoing job training or coaching, could not keep a job, unemployed, experienced by 80% of the subjects (age 21 and older)

Protective factors and strengths
Eight factors were identified in the same study as universal protective factors that reduced the incidence rate of the secondary disabilities:
Living in a stable and nurturing home for over 73% of life
Being diagnosed with FAS before age six
Never having experienced violence
Remaining in each living situation for at least 2.8 years
Experiencing a "good quality home" (meeting 10 or more defined qualities) from age 8 to 12 years old
Having been found eligible for developmental disability (DD) services
Having basic needs met for at least 13% of life
Having a diagnosis of FAS (rather than another FASD condition)Malbin (2002) has identified the following areas of interests and talents as strengths that often stand out for those with FASD and should be utilized, like any strength, in treatment planning:
Music, playing instruments, composing, singing, art, spelling, reading, computers, mechanics, woodworking, skilled vocations (welding, electrician, etc.
), writing, poetry
Participation in non-impact sport or physical fitness activities

Lifespan
One study found that the people with FASD had a significantly shorter life expectancy. With the average life span of 34 years old, a study found that 44% of the deaths were of "external cause", with 15% of deaths being suicides. Epidemiology
FASD is estimated to affect between 2% and 5% of people in the United States and Western Europe. FAS is believed to occur in between 0.2 and 9 per 1000 live births in the United States. The lifetime costs of an individual with FAS were estimated to be two million USD in 2002. Drinking any quantity during pregnancy, the risk of giving birth to a child with FASD is about 15%, and to a child with FAS about 1.5%. Drinking large quantities, defined as 2 standard drinks a day, or 6 standard drinks in a short time, carries a 4.3% risk of a FAS birth (i.e. one of every 23 heavy-drinking pregnant women will deliver a child with FAS). In a recent count the prevailence of having any FASD disorder was 1 person out of 20, but some people estimate it could be as high as 1 in 7. Australia
FASD among Australian youth is more common in indigenous Australians. The only states that have registered birth defects in Australian youth are Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. In Australia, only 12% of Australian health professionals are aware of the diagnostics and symptoms of FASD.