We’re excited to share a unique, child-friendly way to learn about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) – through puppets! FASD Understanding is an education initiative designed to increase awareness, reduce stigma, and provide practical support for individuals and families.
https://canfasd.ca/2026/05/13/new-resource-uses-puppets-to-teach-about-fasd/
Michigan State Medical
Society (USA) - Health Policy Committee Reviews FASD and Lead Exposure Bills
The House Health Policy Committee heard testimony Wednesday on bills aimed
at improving early intervention services for children affected by fetal alcohol
spectrum disorders (FASD) and lead exposure.
https://www.msms.org/news/health-policy-committee-reviews-fasd-and-lead-exposure-bills
PNI Atlantic News
(Canada) - WENDY ELLIOTT: More support needed for people with fetal alcohol
spectrum disorder
There’s always more to learn. In the last couple of years, I’ve been
educated about fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) by a young woman in the
community. Sally (not her real name) is fun and feisty. She lives with distinct
challenges that I can now label.
https://www.saltwire.com/nova-scotia/annapolis-valley/wendy-elliott-more-support-needed-for-people-with-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder
Streamline (Kenya) - One
In Eight Women Drink During Pregnancy, Fueling Hidden Crisis
A silent epidemic is unfolding in maternity wards across the globe, heavily
masked by deep societal stigma and catastrophic diagnostic failures.
https://streamlinefeed.co.ke/news/one-in-eight-women-drink-during-pregnancy-fueling-hidden-crisis
Midwest radio (Ireland)
- New HSE safe pregnancy campaign
A new HSE campaign is letting the public know that avoiding alcohol
completely is safest when planning a pregnancy and during pregnancy.
https://www.midwestradio.ie/news/new-hse-safe-pregnancy-campaign/
Lifestyle & Tech
(South Africa) - Alcohol harm during pregnancy is about more than individual
choices
As pressure grows on South Africa’s healthcare, education and social
support systems, more attention is needed on the long-term impact that alcohol
exposure can have on children and families through Fetal Alcohol Spectrum
Disorder (FASD).
https://lifestyleandtech.co.za/smart-living/article/2026-05-19/alcohol-harm-during-pregnancy-is-about-more-than-individual-choices
NACCHO (Australia) - Share
your story to raise awareness of FASD
FARE is inviting expressions of interest from individuals and families who
would like to share their lived experience as part of a new national project.
This work aims to strengthen awareness and understanding of FASD, while
supporting healthy, alcohol‑free pregnancies and breastfeeding across
Australia.
https://www.naccho.org.au/share-your-story-to-raise-awareness-of-fasd/
FASD United - FASD
United Welcomes the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health to the Affiliate
Network
We are thrilled to welcome the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health (DBH)
as the newest member of the FASD United Affiliate Network, now comprised of 49
organizations united to further FASD awareness, provide support, and improve
the quality of life for those affected by prenatal alcohol exposure.
https://fasdunited.org/fasd-united-welcomes-the-ohio-department-of-behavioral-health-to-the-affiliate-network/
FASD Hub (Australia) -
Inquiry into the health impacts of alcohol and other drugs in Australia
opening statement
The House Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability has held a
public hearing as part of its inquiry into the health impacts of alcohol and
other drugs in Australia.
https://fasdhub.org.au/news/inquiry-into-the-health-impacts-of-alcohol-and-other-drugs-in-australia-opening-statement/
Irish Medical Times
(Ireland) - Ghosts in the Machine
Ireland’s historic relationship with alcohol, romanticised in folklore and
lubricated by commerce, has produced a crisis hidden in plain sight, writes
Terence Cosgrave.
https://www.imt.ie/opinion/comment/who-are-the-slow-learners-in-foetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-21-05-2026/
VIDEOS
TEDx Talks - The Invisible Disease: FASD | Addie Broxterman
Addie Broxterman will ring awareness to the invisible disease of FASD. She
will be using personal experiences to convey the importance of being
informed. Addie is a student at
Pittsburg High School This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED
conference format but independently organized by a local community.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdpV0T5Mzrk
Administration for
Children and Families (ACF) - Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Data,
Systems, and Strategies for Change
This webinar explores fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) through the
lens of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), focusing on Plans
of Safe Care (POSC) for infants.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hip20IIuYZA
Australian Teacher
Aide - Supporting Students with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder FASD
Explore planning strategies, underpinning principles, and non-typical
impairment patterns to better support students with FASD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CPSFj_-TQI
Foster Care
Association of Victoria - Understanding FASD Webinar
Join the Foster Care Association of Victoria (FCAV) and Simone McKenry from
NoFASD Australia for an informative and practical webinar exploring Fetal
Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and its impact on children and young people in
out-of-home care.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59L00A6k7VY
Alliance Against
Seclusion and Restraint - Understanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: A
Discussion with Jenn Wisdahl and Kristen Eriksen
Jenn Wisdahl leads strategy and operations at FASD United, the national
organization supporting people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and
promoting healthy pregnancies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFMO4vmJWeA
Patricia Kasper, Your
FASD Coach - The Neurobiology of Migraines in FASD: What You Need to Know
This episode features Dr. Jerrod Brown, Jodee Kulp, and host Patti Kasper
discussing the complex relationship between migraines and FASD. They explore
neurobiological mechanisms, triggers, co-occurring conditions, and practical
interventions to manage migraines, especially in individuals with FASD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeHN-rFc8PM
Patricia Kasper, Your
FASD Coach - Unlocking Emotional Intelligence for Neurodivergent Minds: A
Conversation with Morgane Borzee
In this episode, Patti Kasper chats with Morgane Borzee about a
groundbreaking visual system that revolutionizes how we understand and regulate
emotions, especially in neurodivergent communities like those affected by FASD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrn0T4vMK1s
FASD Florida Center - FASD
Collective: Shifts for Summer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Re0hHYE0MA
Harrison's Hope FASD -
Nate Sheets on Supporting Adults with FASD: Autonomy, Regulation &
Lifelong Support
In this insightful webinar, Nate Sheets explores what meaningful,
brain-based support can look like for adults with FASD—focusing on autonomy,
emotional regulation, collaboration, relationships, routines, and lifelong
support needs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B0R4CPYuFs
RESEARCH
University of Toronto - Hidden harm: Unearthing the Roots of Alcohol Use
Among Indigenous Mothers
This paper is a literature review which examines how alcohol affects fetal
development and evaluates current prevention strategies in North America.
https://utoronto.scholaris.ca/items/9a7b8981-4254-442c-9377-84b06a444c1d
Neuroscience - Executive
functioning-related behavior and neuronal activation in the thalamic nucleus
reuniens in a combined intubation and alcohol third-trimester binge exposure in
rats
This study underscores Re’s vulnerability to AE and the need for research
into sex-specific mechanisms and interventions for AE-related cognitive
deficits.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306452226003258
Adoption &
Fostering - Looking beyond the deficits: The importance of a strengths-based
approach to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
The UK is, with a rate of 41%, amongst the countries with the highest
prenatal alcohol exposure rates in the world (Popova et al., 2017). Alcohol can
cross the placenta and negatively affect fetal development, which can lead to
fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) (Dejong et al., 2019).
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/03085759261448241
Physiology &
Behavior - Linking prenatal alcohol-induced transcriptomic alterations to
hippocampal-associated structural and behavioral deficits
This review seeks to connect early developmental vulnerabilities to later
life phenotypes of hippocampal damage to support the discovery of prenatal
alcohol exposure biomarkers and the development of potential therapeutics for
alcohol-related impairments.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938426001617
bioRxiv - Unraveling
a comparative landscape of protein-coding genes linked to neuroimmune function
during adulthood consequent of prenatal alcohol exposure
AE creates a unique inflammatory signature in the adult brain, even in the
absence of secondary injury, with novel patterns of region-specific changes in
genes implicated in glial-immune function.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.11.724451v1.abstract
International Journal
of Molecular Sciences - Does a Biochemical Approach Facilitate the Diagnosis
of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Neonatal
Period?
We aimed to review the existing literature on PAE assessment methods.
Analysis of alcohol metabolites in neonatal meconium is the most widely studied
and appears to be feasible for routine use, but it has some limitations.
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/10/4357
Alcohol and Alcoholism
- Alcohol use during pregnancy and public awareness of harms: findings from
the CAMH Monitor Survey, Ontario, Canada
Public health messaging and maternal alcohol use prevention strategies must
address persistent misconceptions about alcohol use in pregnancy and engage not
only women and expectant mothers, but also men, partners, and broader social
networks.
https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article-abstract/61/4/agag029/8677363?redirectedFrom=PDF
Child Psychiatry &
Human Development - Teacher-Reported Prevalence of FASD in Kindergarten and
Association With Home Problems and Early Intervention in 2010–2015 and
2016–2020
Given that the Canadian FASD diagnostic guidelines were updated in 2016, we
aimed to determine changes to kindergarten FASD prevalence as well as the
association of FASD with home problems and early intervention compared to
autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other conditions with neurodevelopmental
origins (NDO) in the 2010–2015 period versus 2016–2020.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10578-026-02025-3
medRxiv - Estimated
incidence and number of new cases with prenatal alcohol exposure and fetal
alcohol spectrum disorders in Finland 1990-2025
PAE remains common in Finland, and the burden of FASD is substantial
despite declining trends. Additional biomarker-based studies of PAE and active
case ascertainment of FASD are needed to refine current estimates.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.09.26352787v1
European Journal of
Pediatrics - Navigating complexity: a retrospective review of pre-diagnostic
healthcare trajectories of youth diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
The findings highlight the extensive and varied pre-diagnostic healthcare
journeys of youth with FASD. Despite growing policy attention, timely access to
FASD diagnosis remains limited.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00431-026-07034-x
BMC Medical Education
- Alcohol use disorders and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in a South
African dental school curriculum: a curriculum mapping study
Current oral health curricula at UWC insufficiently address the management
of patients with FASD and alcohol misuse, reflecting a broader gap in
context-responsive education.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12909-026-08924-2
Neurobiology of Stress
- From teratogens to trajectories: Integrating teratology and Developmental
Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) frameworks for a new take on fetal
alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD)
Prenatal exposure to alcohol is an adverse early life exposure known to
have serious and long-lasting effects on development. The concept that early
life experiences, whether positive or negative, can have long-term impacts on
adult physiological, behavioral, cognitive and health outcomes is not new.
However, this concept gained greater recognition beginning in the 1950's,
largely through the seminal contributions of Seymour (Gig) Levine, a founding
father of the early experience concept, which changed our understanding of how
experiences in early life can impact adult outcomes.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352289526000433
Behavioral sciences - Prenatal
Alcohol Exposure Predicts Academic Outcomes from Childhood to Adolescence: A
Prospective Longitudinal Study Based on Meconium Ethyl Glucuronide
PAE is associated with reduced real-life academic outcomes across
development. School performance represents a sensitive functional outcome of
neurodevelopmental vulnerability following PAE.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/16/5/715
Archives of Disease in
Childhood - Prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and its
relationship with levels and patterns of alcohol consumption: a scoping review
FASD prevalence estimates in high-income countries and the risk of
different levels and drinking patterns varied widely due to the use of
different diagnostic criteria, sampling and alcohol consumption collection
methods. Improving alcohol consumption collection methods will help enhance
diagnostic certainty and the identification of at-risk groups.
https://adc.bmj.com/content/early/2026/05/03/archdischild-2025-329287.abstract
IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Helsingin Sanomat (Finland) - FASD-diagnoosi muutti elämäni suunnan
Suomessa syntyy vuosittain suuri joukko alkoholialtistuksen vaurioittamia
lapsia, mutta vain murto-osa heistä saa FASD-diagnoosin. Missä ovat ne, jotka
ovat jääneet tunnistamatta? He ovat aikuisia, kuten minä.
https://www.hs.fi/mielipide/art-2000012002109.html
Läkartidningen
(Sweden) - Ska kvinnan vara nykter när hon försöker bli gravid?
De första veckorna av en graviditet är fostret särskilt känsligt för
alkohol. Detta behöver uppmärksammas mer, så att kvinnor kan välja att avstå
från alkohol redan innan graviditeten konstaterats.
https://lakartidningen.se/opinion/debatt/ska-kvinnan-vara-nykter-nar-hon-forsoker-bli-gravidae/
Uniwersytetu
Medycznego (Poland) - Spektrum płodowych zaburzeń alkoholowych (FASD).
Aktualizacja polskich wytycznych diagnozowania
Dziecko może mieć trudności z nauką, kontrolowaniem emocji i budowaniem
relacji przez całe życie, mimo że na pierwszy rzut oka rozwija się „normalnie”.
https://www.umw.edu.pl/pl/aktualnosci/spektrum-plodowych-zaburzen-alkoholowych-fasd-aktualizacja-polskich-wytycznych
Polskie Radio
(Poland) - NIE dla alkoholu w ciąży - apelują specjaliści! „Każda dawka jest
szkodliwa”
FASD, czyli Spektrum Poalkoholowych Uszkodzeń Płodu powstaje na skutek
spożywania alkoholu przez kobietę w czasie ciąży. - Każda dawka jest szkodliwa
- przypominają specjaliści z toruńskiej Fundacji „Daj Szansę”, która prowadzi w
regionie diagnozę FASD.
https://www.radiopik.pl/2,138454,nie-dla-alkoholu-w-ciazy-apeluja-specjalisci-kazda-dawka-alkoholu-w-ciazy-jest-szkodliwa
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