National Institutes of Health (USA) - Study of first-graders shows fetal alcohol spectrum disorders prevalent in U.S. Communities
A study of more than 6,000 first-graders across four U.S. communities has found that a significant number of the children have fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), with conservative rates ranging from 1 to 5 percent in community samples.
TIME (USA) - Fetal Alcohol Disorder May Be More Common Than Previously Thought
In a new JAMA study of more than 6,000 first-graders, researchers estimate that between 1.1% and 9.8% of American children have developmental or neurological problems caused by fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs)—a significantly higher number than previous studies have reported.
Deccan Chronicle (USA) - Expert suggests Florida shooter may have fetal alcohol syndrome
Looking at the incident from a psychological point of view, experts are suggesting that the boy expelled from school a year back may be suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome.
ABC Online (Australia) - Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder clinic wanted in Alice Springs amid misdiagnosis fears
At Megan Brown's home in Alice Springs, sharp objects are out of sight and laminated signs encouraging good behaviour are blue-tacked to the wall.
Mother Jones - Drinking While Pregnant May Feel Empowering. That Doesn’t Mean It’s Not Hurting Your Baby
Neurological problems caused by drinking alcohol during pregnancy might be much more common than previously thought. A new study suggests that as many as 1 in 10 American children may suffer from these disabilities—a rate far greater than that of autism, which affects 1.5 percent of children.
University of Rochester - Building the right mobile app for caregivers of children with FASD
After years of working with patients and researching fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), Christie Petrenko, a research associate at the University’s Mt. Hope Family Center, knew a mobile app might be just the tool she was missing in order to help families and caregivers of children with FASD.
The Guardian (Australia) - WA study finds 89% of children in detention have severe cognitive impairment
Eighty-nine per cent of children in detention in Western Australia have a severe cognitive impairment and 36% have foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), according to a world-leading study.
InsideHalton.com (Canada) - Education Act amendment to increase FASD awareness in hands of Halton MPP Indira Naidoo-Harris
It’s now up to Halton MPP and Ontario’s Minister of Education Indira Naidoo-Harris. Parents and caregivers of those with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) across the province will be waiting.
The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) - Kids in prison with brain disorders: If we can predict it, we should prevent it
News that nine out of 10 young people in Western Australia's only juvenile prison have a cognitive impairment is alarming, but not unexpected.
KUNM - Shifting The Way We Think About Addiction And Pregnancy
An Albuquerque police officer was honored in front of the whole country during the State of the Union address earlier this week. While on duty, he met a woman who was addicted to heroin and adopted her baby.
Attachment and Trauma Network - FASD and RAD — “Cannot vs. Will Not”
Early childhood trauma. Complex behaviors. The two often go hand in hand as parents and professionals will attest.
SBS (Australia) - Call to 'do better' to help detained youth
Researchers have uncovered unprecedented levels of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and severe cognitive delays among incarcerated young Australians.
UPCOMING
The Royal Society of Medicine - understanding neurodevelopmental disorder prenatal alcohol exposure (ndpae) (22 May 2018; London UK)This one day conference will review in a multi professional forum the neurodevelopmental disorders linked to prenatal alcohol exposure (NDPAE).
Alberta (Canada) - Supporting Employment Success in Adults with FASD (February 21, 2018)
This webinar will be of interest to persons directly affected by FASD, employers and anyone else supporting persons with FASD.
Read more
Wayne State University - Introduction To FASD in Children/Youth, Featuring Daniel Dubovsky (May 24, 2018)
For Parents, Foster Parents, Parent Support Partners, and other caregivers supporting a child or youth with a diagnosis of FASD or suspected FASD.
VIDEOS and MATERIALS
OrphanCare Recources - FAS and NAS: Alcohol and Drug Related Birth Defects
This webinar will explain FASD and NAS and offer an introductory view of their implications for the life of a family. It will discuss symptoms, assessments, the school system, daily life, and how they effect the brain.
Helsedirektoratet - Drikk alkoholfritt sammen
Birmingham City University - Exploring the identities of adults diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Using ecological systems theory and additions frameworks: theories of stigma, intersectionality, human-social dignity and human rights a qualitative interpretive approach, to interviews with adults diagnosed with FASD will enable a thematic analysis. These themes will be used to design an international online survey. The findings from these would be triangulated with a review of literature and policy analysis.
RESEARCH
JAMA - Prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in 4 US Communities
These findings may represent more accurate US prevalence estimates than previous studies but may not be generalizable to all communities.
JAMA - Implications of Higher Than Expected Prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are a group of serious, chronic, systemic diseases that are caused by prenatal alcohol exposure and characterized by central nervous system damage and physical deficits that subsequently lead to a wide range of permanent and lifelong health consequences.
Read moreBrain Sciences -
Preliminary Findings that a Targeted Intervention Leads to Altered Brain Function in Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) exhibit behavioral dysregulation, executive dysfunction, and atypical function in associated brain regions.
Reproductive Toxicology - A Utilitarian Comparison of Two Alcohol Use Biomarkers With Self-Reported Drinking History Collected in Antenatal Clinics
Alcohol use is reported accurately among pregnant women in some populations.
Alcoholism - Effects of early alcohol exposure on functional organization and microstructure of a visual tactile integrative circuit
Because ethanol disrupts activity-dependent neuronal plasticity, a process that is essential for refining connections during cortical development, we hypothesize that early alcohol exposure results in alterations in multisensory cortical networks, which could explain the multisensory processing deficits seen in FASD.
Biochem Cell Biol - Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE): Insights into FASD using PAE Mouse Models.
The potential impact of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) varies considerably among exposed individuals, with some displaying serious alcohol-related effects and others showing few or even no overt signs of a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
BMJ Open - Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and youth justice: a prevalence study among young people sentenced to detention in Western Australia
This study, in a representative sample of young people in detention in Western Australia, has documented a high prevalence of FASD and severe neurodevelopmental impairment, the majority of which had not been previously identified.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence - Addressing the public health concerns of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Impact of stigma and health literacy
Stigma experienced by biological mothers of children with FASD generalizes to women who consume alcohol while pregnant.
Applied Neuropsychology: Child - Deferred diagnosis in children assessed for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
Early intervention for individuals with FASD is paramount, thus exploring factors that affect the diagnostic process is critical.
Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience - CB1R-Mediated Activation of Caspase-3 Causes Epigenetic and Neurobehavioral Abnormalities in Postnatal Ethanol-Exposed Mice
Alcohol exposure can affect brain development, leading to long-lasting behavioral problems, including cognitive impairment, which together is referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
International Journal of Law and Psychiatry - Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and the criminal justice system: A systematic literature review
Individuals with FASD may present with a wide range of difficulties including impairments in memory, attention, visual–spatial abilities, executive functioning, processing speed, intelligence, academic achievement, language, and social-emotional and behavioural functioning.
The Journal of Pediatrics - Utility of Genetic Testing in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
To study the utility of genetic evaluation and testing in patients with suspected fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
Human Brain Mapping - Sensorimotor network alterations in children and youth with prenatal alcohol exposure
These alterations in the sensorimotor network lay the foundation for future studies to evaluate interventions and treatments to improve motor function in children with PAE.
Reproductive Health - Warning about drinking during pregnancy: lessons from the French experience
In France, since 2007, there is a compulsory warning recommending abstinence during pregnancy on every container of alcohol. Awareness of this warning, which consists of a small pictogram, is unknown.
Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health - Surveying social adversity in pregnancy: The antenatal risk burden experienced by Australian women
Many, varied, antenatal risk factors can adversely impact children's health, behaviour and cognition. Understanding the antenatal risk factors experienced by women can help identify which families are most likely to benefit from additional early supports; however, there is a dearth of published Australian antenatal risk data.
Communique - Conditions for Further Study: Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
The Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism branch of the National Institute of Health (NIH) indicates that there is no known safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy (NIH, 2015).
Developmental Psychobiology - Maternal care-related differences in males and females rats’ sensitivity to ethanol and the associations between the GABAergic system and steroids in males
This study investigated the effect of maternal care on adolescent ethanol consumption, sensitivity to ethanol-induced hypnosis, as well as gonadal hormones and γ-aminobutyric acid type-A (GABAA) systems.
OpenUCT - A study of event-related electrocortical oscillatory dynamics associated with cued motor-response inhibition during performance of the Go/NoGo task within a sample of prenatally alcohol-exposed children and age-matched controls
Our research explored neocortical processing in heavy-exposed children from Cape Town, South Africa, performing the Go/NoGo response inhibition task.
IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Helsedirektoratet (Norway) - Seminar alkoholfritt svangerskap
Seminaret belyser alkoholens og legemidlenes virkninger på det ufødte barnet og hvordan forebygge medfødte russkader (FAS og FASD). Det presenteres undersøkelser som har kartlagt holdninger og erfaringer blant gravide samt helsepersonell.
express kaszubski (Poland) - Kartuzy. O mitach i zagrożeniach związanych ze spożywaniem alkoholu w ciąży
Przedstawiciele samorządów, szkół, ośrodków pomocy społecznej i placówek służby zdrowia z powiatu kartuskiego zdecydowali o włączeniu się we wspólną kampanię uświadamiającą mieszkańców o szkodliwości spożywania alkoholu podczas ciąży.
Ruhr Nachrichten (Germany) - Drogenerbe der Mutter verfolgt ein Kind ein Leben lang
Sie wog weniger als zwei Päckchen Butter bei ihrer Geburt. Die Ärzte gaben dieser Handvoll Mensch im Brutkasten anfangs Drogen, sonst wäre der Entzug tödlich verlaufen. Die Folgen werden Alena Lange ein Leben lang begleiten. Obwohl sie erst spät erkannt wurden.
