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Sunday, February 22, 2026

FASD News - 8/2026

The Conversation - The most prevalent disability in classrooms may be FASD — and supporting students is vital
As I walk into the classroom as a newly graduated teacher, I see children — each with unique abilities, interests and an eagerness to learn. This Ontario classroom was designed to be inclusive — a space where all students, regardless of their needs, can thrive.
https://theconversation.com/the-most-prevalent-disability-in-classrooms-may-be-fasd-and-supporting-students-is-vital-272553

CBC (Canada) - New 'Clear Skies Tent' aims to help people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder connect with culture
A new safe space to help with sensory regulation for people living with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has just made its debut at the annual Yukon First Nations Health and Wellness Summit.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/fasd-yukon-clear-skies-tent-9.7069232

North Dallas Gazette - Inadequate Nutrition and Lower Education Linked to Worse Outcomes for Children Exposed to Alcohol in Utero
A new study addresses the puzzle of why heavy drinking throughout pregnancy leads to widely varying outcomes for children.
https://northdallasgazette.com/2026/02/04/inadequate-nutrition-and-lower-education-linked-to-worse-outcomes-for-children-exposed-to-alcohol-in-utero/

News-Medical - Study examines the effectiveness of urine testing as a screening tool for alcohol use in pregnancy
Data on alcohol consumption by pregnant women in Ireland has previously only been collected through self-reporting in questionnaires, which may give an incomplete picture of consumption.
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260218/Study-examines-the-effectiveness-of-urine-testing-as-a-screening-tool-for-alcohol-use-in-pregnancy.aspx

Medical Xpress (Ireland) - Most pregnant women in Ireland avoid alcohol, research shows
Alcohol consumption during early pregnancy in Ireland is significantly lower than previously reported, according to new research. Previous estimates, based largely on self-reported data, suggested that between 20% and 60% of pregnant women in Ireland consumed alcohol.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-pregnant-women-ireland-alcohol.html

Daily Mail - If your mother drank even a little alcohol during pregnancy you're far more likely to struggle with a dangerous habit, research suggests
Women who drink alcohol during pregnancy are more likely to have children who grow up vulnerable to alcohol dependence, a major study suggests.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-15521025/mom-pregnancy-disease-alcoholism-dopamine.html

Girls, Women, Alcohol, and Pregnancy - Finding Opportunities for Women’s Resistance and Recovery when Alcohol is Increasingly ‘Pink’
Understanding the factors that contribute to alcohol use in pregnancy is important. The research continues to highlight that factors associated with prenatal alcohol use include informational factors (e.g., not knowing about the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy), stress-related factors (e.g., experiencing violence), social determinant of health-related factors (e.g., socioeconomic status), and preconception and pregnancy-related factors (e.g., using substances before pregnancy).
https://fasdprevention.wordpress.com/2026/02/03/finding-opportunities-for-womens-resistance-and-recovery-when-alcohol-is-increasingly-pink/

 

VIDEOS
Formed Families Forward YouTube - Understanding the Diagnosis of FASD (FASD Webinar Series Winter 2026)
Broadcast live on January 13, 2026, this webinar was presented by Ali Sturgill, PNP and Stephanie McNerney, PNP of the University of Virginia Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. It overviews fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and details specifics of the medical diagnosis of the condition, including signs at various developmental stages.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UnkJL0GjMA

FASDSUCCESS - FASD & Brain Connectivity: Dr. Raja Mukherjee on Why "Behavior" is Biology
Dr. Raja Mukherjee joins Jeff to explain how prenatal alcohol exposure impacts brain connectivity, revealing that many struggles with regulation and memory aren't character flaws, but the result of different regions of the brain struggling to communicate with each other.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvl1kXWQqKQ

CanFASD - FASD Innovation in Action: Claudette Bradshaw Award Presentation
In this webinar recording, the 2025 recipient of the Claudette Bradshaw FASD Innovation Award, the Enviros Neurodevelopmental Diagnostic Clinic, presents its Transitions to Positive Futures program.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0nwWZ7hUa4

Formed Families Forward YouTube - Occupational Therapy and FASD: Supporting Individuals and Families Across the Lifespan
Broadcast live on January 20, 2026, this webinar was presented by Misty Pruner, PhD, OTR/L and Tracy Jirikowic, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA of the University of Washington, Seattle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP_2pTzOVtc

FASDSUCCESS - Why Degrees Don't Fix Fetal Alcohol Dysregulation w/ Carrie McCarter
In this episode of The FASD Success Show, Jeff Noble sits down with Carrie McCarter a speech pathologist with a master’s degree and over two decades of experience in early intervention.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7UJh3m9ZAA

Avoiding the Addiction Affliction - Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder" with Guida Brown
„Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) is often overlooked, misdiagnosed, and understudied. Individuals with FASDs and their families also face persistent stigma, negative stereotypes, and harmful biases, due to public misunderstandings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWkUhFF7fHM

CISUR - Let’s Act! Bill S-234: A national FASD framework
Part of the Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation (CAPE) Community of Practice event series. This session, co-presented by CanFASD, featured Senator Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia speaking about the background and core elements of Bill S-234, why he is passionate about this issue, and the steps required for the Bill to become an Act.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDYpb3NLZEo

Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York - Workshop 13A:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders from a Trauma Lens with Barb Clark | AFFCNY
In child welfare, we see high rates of children who have been prenatally exposed to alcohol and drugs along with high levels of in-utero stress, which can have a significant impact on a child’s brain development. Although fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are twice as common as autism, this disorder often goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRNiT_I4WiY

FASD Hub Scotland and FASD Hub UK - Wednesday Webinar with Dr Dr Maude Champagne
Decoding Aggression, Complex Behaviours and Brain Based Disabilities
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UBaQSVRQZE

Beyond 6 Seconds - Neurodivergent communication differences (Autism, FASD, ADHD and more) -- with Patti Kasper
This episode is a special collaboration between Beyond 6 Seconds and the Living with FASD podcast hosted by ‪@PatriciaKasperYourFASDCoach. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are lifelong conditions caused by prenatal alcohol exposure that can impact physical, cognitive, and behavioral development.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHSPtkomsRQ

Patricia Kasper, Your FASD Coach - Passage of the FASD Respect Act: Next Steps in Advocacy
In this episode of Living with FASD, Patti talks with FASD United’s Jen Wisdahl and Susan Shepard Carlson about the recent signing of the FASD Respect Act into law, highlighting the journey of advocacy that led to this significant achievement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olge0rVq89Q

FASD Hub Scotland and FASD Hub UK - Wednesday Webinar with Eileen Devine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9al76Q0y5c

 

RESEARCH
International Journal of Molecular Sciences - Comprehensive Analysis of the Placenta–Cortex Transcriptomic Database Reveals a Neuroactive Ligand–Receptor Dysregulation After Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
Neuroplacentology is an emerging field of research supporting that the placenta actively contributes to the fetal brain development through the release of bioactive molecules.
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/4/1819

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research - The fundamentals of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Evaluation of an awareness-raising webinar
Health professionals in the UK and internationally often lack knowledge of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Raising awareness of PAE and FASD across health and social care sectors is vital to support Scotland’s implementation of neurodevelopmental pathways.
https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/publications/the-fundamentals-of-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-evaluation-of/

Neurotoxicology and Teratology - Profiles of polysubstance exposure in youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and the association with neurodevelopmental outcomes
Findings highlight heterogeneity in neuropsychological outcomes based on distinct patterns of prenatal polysubstance exposures. Neuropsychological assessment remains essential for capturing this variability and informing individualized, exposure-responsive care.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0892036226000012

AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples - Māori caregivers’ experiences of parenting a person with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder
The findings show that Māori caregivers face great adversity in providing the best possible care for their children living with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and that they sacrifice a great deal in terms of their health or finances, alongside battling for basic supports and resources for their children.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/11771801251409088

Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research - An examination of child outcomes and predictors of severity when prenatal alcohol exposure is frequent and heavy
Higher maternal body weight and a BMI between 25 and 29 appear to be protective for the offspring. Long-term adequate nutrition and less alcohol consumption in the third trimester may protect highly exposed children from the most severe and negative outcomes.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.70228

BMJ open - Establishing the prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder among young people in Youth Justice residences in Aotearoa, New Zealand: a study protocol
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a diagnostic term that describes the neurodevelopmental and physical effects resulting from prenatal exposure to alcohol.
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/16/2/e107208.abstract

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry - Prenatal alcohol exposure and the retrosplenial cortex: Structural and functional mechanisms across species
The retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is a structurally and functionally complex hub with broad connectivity, integrating sensory inputs, cognitive states, and memory to guide behavior. It supports perspective transformation, predictive modeling, and memory retrieval, making it critical for navigation, executive function, and higher cognition.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278584626000291

medRxiv - Prenatal alcohol exposure and the development of multiple risk behaviours in adolescence: A birth cohort study
This study supports the UK Chief Medical Officer’s Low Risk Drinking Guidelines that the safest approach if pregnant, or if there is a possibility of becoming pregnant, is to avoid drinking alcohol, with the more alcohol consumed during pregnancy the greater the risks of long-term harm to the baby.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.29.26345107v1

 

IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Fördermagazin Sekundarstufe (Germany) - FASD
die große Unbekannte
FASD ist eine noch recht unbekannte und vor allem gemiedene Diagnose. Jährlich kommen etwa 14.000 Kinder mit dieser, durch pränatalen Alkoholkonsum verursachten, Störung zur Welt.
https://elibrary.utb.de/doi/abs/10.5555/fsek-1-2026_07

La Presse Médicale Formation (Italy) - Alcool et grossesse. Un risque évitable trop banalisé
La grossesse est une fenêtre d’opportunité pour aborder la question de l’alcool qui est la substance psychoactive la plus consommée en France mais aussi la plus dangereuse pour le fœtus.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666479826000108

Chaos im Kopf Podcast - Dein FASD Podcast (Germany) - Das FASD-Bermudadreieck C92
Manchmal fühlt sich Alltag mit FASD an wie ein Leben im Bermuda-Dreieck – Dinge und Informationen verschwinden spurlos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvQeV31grXM

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