Book excerpt: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) have emerged as a major phenomenon within the education, health, criminal justice and social care systems of many countries, with current prevalence figures suggesting that one in a hundred children and young people have FASDs. In this publication, academics, professionals and families from around the world have shared expertise and insights on FASDs. Their combined interdisciplinary perspective makes an invaluable contribution to how we understand and address the complex social, educational and health needs associated with this growing group of children and young people. Articulating fundamental knowledge, cutting edge initiatives and emerging trends in FASDs, this book provides an evidence base that will enable services to identify and respond to the need for action on FASDs. It recognises that families – natural, foster or adoptive – are at the heart of this process, and that their rich knowledge base, grounded in their lived experience, is crucial. Any education, social care, criminal justice or health professional working with children and young people with FASDs and their families will find this book a seminal and authoritative resource.