Evaluating Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in the Forensic Context

Natalie Novick Brown, a clinical and forensic psychologist in Washington State, Alaska, and Florida, is a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences (courtesy staff) at the University of Washington School of Medicine. An international expert on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), with formal postdoctoral training and expertise in FASD as well as sexual offenders and child development, she has worked in many jurisdictions in the United States evaluating individuals charged with murder and other high-stakes crimes. In 2007, she and colleagues founded FASDExperts, a multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals that conducted forensic FASD assessments in the capital murder context. In 2012, she contributed to the American Bar Association's Resolution on FASD. Dr. Brown developed this unique collection in order to reduce the 'invisibility' of FASD in the mental health field and encourage colleagues to specialize in this all-too-often "invisible" disorder.