CBC.ca (Canada) - More supports needed for people with FASD, say advocates
People diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) need lifelong supports, but the disorder is often misunderstood, say advocates.
PBS NewsHour - Fetal alcohol disorders are more common than you think
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, a possible result from mothers drinking during pregnancy, has flown under the radar for decades. Now new conservative estimates published in The Journal of the American Medical Association show that anywhere from 1.1 to 5 percent of the U.S. population is affected, meaning it could be more common than autism.
PBS NewsHour - The story about drinking while pregnant that got our newsroom talking
On tonight’s PBS NewsHour, National Correspondent Amna Nawaz reports from Minnesota on a subject often referred to as the “invisible disability:” Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, or FASD, which can occur when a mother drinks during pregnancy.
PBS NewsHour - Why do pregnant women get confusing guidance about alcohol?
How much alcohol can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, a difficult to diagnose condition, sometimes called an "invisible disability"? Doctors don't know. While official guidelines say no amount of alcohol is safe to drink during pregnancy, women often receive mixed signals, even from their own physicians.
SDSU Newscenter (USA) - Professor Honored for Work on Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
SDSU neuropsychologist Sarah Mattson explores the cognitive and behavioral effects of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
CBC.ca (Canada) - Man who died in Edmonton Remand Centre had FASD, should not have been in jail, says mother
Sylvie Salomon's desperate search for her son ended with a phone call Friday morning, informing her that Maxim Baril-Blouin had died in the Edmonton Remand Centre.
Newshub (New Zealand) - Many Kiwi mums-to-be don't stop drinking – study
Nearly a quarter of Kiwi mothers continue to drink alcohol when they're pregnant, a new study has found.
Virtual-Strategy Magazine - Alcohol and Pregnancy a Toxic Cocktail to Swallow
Despite ongoing debate among physicians and scientists about whether an occasional sip of wine or beer may harm a fetus, mixing pregnancy and alcohol can prove a toxic cocktail to swallow.
Health-e News (South Africa) - Expecting moms ignore alcohol dangers
Tshegofatso Makroti, a 30-year old mother from Ikageng township in Potchefstroom who drank alcohol regularly through five pregnancies, believes that although two of her babies were stillborn her drinking was not a problem.
LittleThings (UK) - New Survey Shows 35% Of People Think Drinking During Pregnancy Is Completely Healthy
One of the most widely accepted facts about a healthy pregnancy is also one of the most widely bemoaned: You’re not supposed to drink alcohol while you’re pregnant.
THE PSYCHLOPAEDIA (Australia) - Australia’s hidden epidemic of alcohol harm
Drinking too much alcohol in pregnancy may have a drastic impact on babies' brain development. But too often Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is overlooked as a cause of children's behavioural and learning issues.
NOFASGeorgia - AAP Article: “Myth: A Diagnosis of a FASD Does Not Change the Treatment Plan” – John Stirling, MD, FAAP
At first blush, it might appear that there’s little help in a diagnosis of a FASD. After all, most patients don’t come to the pediatrician with a Chief Complaint of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
VIDEOS and MATERIALS
CanFASD - Victimization in People with FASD
The goal of the current paper is to explore the issue of victimization in FASD and make recommendations for improving the justice process for these individuals.
Demeter - Mothers, Addiction and Recovery: Finding Meaning Through the Journey
This anthology is a collection of personal accounts, research, treatment approaches and policy commentary exploring women’s experiences of mothering in the context of addiction. Individual chapters focus on a variety of addictions during pregnancy or mothering including misuse of substances, food and smartphones.
UPCOMING
EUFASD - European Conference on FASD 2018 (September 24-26; Berlin Germany)
The EUFASD conferences bring together academics, educators, non-governmental organisations and charities, legislators and politicians, lawyers and individuals involved in the criminal justice system, birth and adoptive families alongside individuals who themselves have FASD; shared learning will help promote the understanding of this disorder in Germany, Europe and internationally.
NOFASD Australia - DEMYSTIFYING FASD IN YOUTH CONFERENCE – NSW (13th August, 2018)
After the success of their last FASD Training Day, the CICADA Centre NSW will host Demystifying FASD in Youth to empower GPs, paediatricians, psychiatrists, and allied and mental health professionals to develop knowledge and skills in FASD in children and adolescents.
CSUN - FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders) Network of Southern California 3-day Conference (October 25th-27th, 2018)
To provide an understanding of the link between brain function and behaviors. A Neurobehavioral Model and approach for parents, caregivers, support workers and professionals to aid in caring for individuals with FASD and other brain based disabilities.
Alcohol Healthwatch - Our Science, Our Stories: 2nd Australasian FASD Conference (Perth, Australia 21-22 Nov 2018)
Our Science, Our Stories, will feature our own Claire Gyde, inspirational writer and speaker and Chairperson of FASD-CAN, along with Canada’s Dr Svetlana Popova who has led groundbreaking research to ascertain FASD rates worldwide and in Canada.
NB Adoption Support Network - Learning about the FASD Spectrum: Information, Strategies & Personal Experi... (20 September 2018; Canada)
Do you want to learn more about the FASD spectrum? Maybe you are waitng to adopt and foster or maybe you are raising a child on the FASD Spectrum, or are wondering if your child may be on the Spectrum?
NewFound Families of Virginia - Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)- Increasing Awareness webinar (AUGUST 23)
Have you been asked to accept a foster care placement or are raising a child with a diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)? Join us on Thursday, August 23 at 7:00 PM for our webinar, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders – Increasing Awareness.
FASD Okanagan Valley Assessment and Support Society - “Putting it together.” (September 6-7, 2018; Canada)
This conference brings together people from academia, clinical practice, service providers and the community.
The Halton FASD Resource Team - Four Night FASD Training Series for Parents and Caregivers (October 9, 2018)
The Halton FASD Resource Team is pleased to announce training for parents/ caregivers and professionals currently supporting someone with diagnosed or suspected fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
BCAdoption - External Brains Wanted with Dr. Diane Russell (September 10th, 2018; Canada)
In honour of FASD Awareness Day we are holding a full day workshop in partnership with the Foster Parent Support Services Society with Dr. Diane Russell where she will present her "External Brains Wanted" workshop.
InclusionBC - 8th International Conference on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (March 6- March 9, 2019; Vancouver CANADA)
This advanced level conference/meeting continues to bring together global experts from multiple disciplines to share international research.
RESEARCH
University of Toronto - Analysis of Drosophila Nervous System Development Following a Brief Exposure to Ethanol
Improper neuronal mapping predisposes many of the neurodevelopmental deficits that arise in patients of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).
Neuroscience - Activity-dependent Signaling and Epigenetic Abnormalities in Mice Exposed to Postnatal Ethanol
Postnatal ethanol exposure has been shown to cause persistent defects in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and disrupt learning and memory processes.
bioRxiv - Moderate developmental alcohol exposure reduces repetitive alternation in a zebrafish model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
Our data thus suggest that zebrafish may be a promising model system for studying the effects of alcohol on learning and decision-making, but also for developing treatments and interventions to reduce the negative effects of prenatal alcohol.
Early Human Development - Prenatal alcohol consumption and infant and child behavior: Evidence from the Growing Up in New Zealand Cohort
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy has a negative effect especially on infant temperament, even if small amounts of alcohol are consumed.
US Patent App - Method for the diagnosis of disorders caused by fetal alcohol syndrome
The present invention provides a method for the diagnosis of disorders caused by foetal alcohol syndrome, said method comprising the assaying of PLGF (placental growth factor).
Journal of Education, Health and Sport - THE EFFECTS OF SENSORY INTEGRATION TECHNIQUES ON MUSCLE TONE IN CHILDREN AFTER PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO ALCOHOL
The sensory integration technique exerts a beneficial effect on the normalization of muscle tone in children after prenatal exposure to alcohol.
Clinical Neurology and Neuroscience - Clinical Implications Related to the Use of Drugs Illicit and Licit During the Pregnancy
The use of drugs during the gestational period brings multiple consequences to the body of the mother and the fetus, of which are intrauterine growth restricted, congenital malformations, miscarriage, premature labour, premature separation of placenta, placenta previa and death Fetal.
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research - Harm from Known Others' Drinking by Relationship Proximity to the Harmful Drinker and Gender: A Meta‐Analysis Across 10 Countries
The experience of harm attributable to the drinking of others differs by gender. For preventing harm to women, the primary focus should be on heavy or harmful drinkers in close proximity relationships; for preventing harm to men, a broader approach is needed.
Alcohol - Impact of moderate prenatal alcohol exposure on histaminergic neurons, histidine decarboxylase levels and histamine H2 receptors in adult rat offspring
Moderate prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) reduced the expression of histidine decarboxylase (HDC), the rate-limiting step in the synthesis of transmitter specific histamine, in dentate gyrus, frontal cortex and cerebellum of adult offspring, but not in the caudate nucleus, or ventral hypothalamus.
IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Göteborgs-Posten (Sweden) - Tusentals barn skadas av alkohol varje år
Vin, öl och sprit som dricks under graviditeten kan orsaka allvarliga fosterskador. Många barn blir till under sommaren, den årstid då vuxna dricker som mest alkohol. I år har dessutom den ovanligt varma sommaren ökat vår konsumtion, skriver bland andra Ihsan Sarman, barnläkare.
RTL Online (Germany) - Fetales Alkoholsyndrom: Dominiques (17) Mutter hat während der Schwangerschaft Alkohol getrunken
Dominique aus London hat es im Alltag schwerer als andere 17-Jährige: Sie hat Probleme sich zu konzentrieren, mit anderen Menschen zu kommunizieren, auch Körpersprache kann die junge Frau schlecht deuten - und all das geht auf die Kappe ihrer Mutter.