Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is thought to affect thousands of children across the UK, yet it remains widely under-recognised and poorly understood. Anna Webster, from south Manchester, is helping to change that.
https://www.salford.ac.uk/news/empowering-families-affected-by-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder
Irish Pharmacy Union
(Ireland) - Pharmacists advise alcohol‑free pregnancy as
the safest choice
The IPU recently issued a
press release advising women, partners and families that choosing not to drink
alcohol during pregnancy, and when planning a pregnancy, is the safest option
for both mother and baby.
https://ipu.ie/ipu-review-article/pharmacists-advise-alcohol-free-pregnancy-as-the-safest-choice/
CBC (Canada) - Bissell
Centre formally opens supportive recovery house for people living with FASD in
Edmonton
The Bissell Centre’s Den of Willows building has officially opened to offer
tailored support for people in Edmonton living with fetal alcohol spectrum
disorder (FASD).
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/bissell-centre-den-of-willows-edmonton-fasd-9.7229297
Michigan Advance (USA)
- House health panel advances bills to combat elevated blood lead levels,
fetal alcohol syndrome
The Michigan House Committee on Health Policy voted on Wednesday morning to
advance two packages of bills to combat childhood lead exposure and fetal
alcohol syndrome.
https://michiganadvance.com/briefs/house-health-panel-advances-bills-to-combat-elevated-blood-lead-levels-fetal-alcohol-syndrome/
SAPeople (South
Africa) - ‘Umqombothi is safer’ and other shocking pregnancy-drinking myths
in South Africa
Despite South Africa’s Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) crisis,
alarming misconceptions about alcohol consumption during pregnancy continue to
persist nationwide, according to a new report.
https://www.sapeople.com/south-african-health/fasd-crisis-10-shocking-pregnancy-drinking-myths-in-south-africa/
Eyewitness News (South
Africa) - Half of South Africans have seen pregnant women drinking alcohol,
study reveals
A new report has found that drinking during pregnancy remains deeply
normalised in South Africa, with more than half of respondents saying they have
seen pregnant women consuming alcohol.
https://www.ewn.co.za/2026/06/17/half-of-south-africans-have-seen-pregnant-women-drinking-alcohol-study-reveals
FASD – CAN (New
Zealand) - FASD-CAN in 'everyday' magazine for educators
We're stoked to see an article by our Principal and Practice Advisor, Kim
Milne, appearing in NZ education magazine 'everyday'. It's a multi-page
overview of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder for kaiako / teachers and other
school support staff.
https://www.fasd-can.org.nz/fasd_can_in_everyday_magazine_for_educators
FASD – CAN (New
Zealand) - Inaugural hui of new FASD advocacy group
On Wednesday June 3, a group of seven people with FASD and some of their
caregivers gathered in Pōneke, Wellington to take part in an advocacy planning
day. The attendees have connections to FASD-CAN through our Tītoki camps and
Pizza Clubs, as well as via various support groups.
https://www.fasd-can.org.nz/inaugural_hui_of_new_fasd_advocacy_group
American Family
Physician (USA) - Alcohol Use During Pregnancy and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum
Disorders
Alcohol use during pregnancy increases health risks for the developing
baby, ranging from miscarriage and sudden infant death syndrome to preterm
birth and developmental problems.
https://www.aafp.org/afp/2026/0600/funded-educational-content-alcohol-use-during-pregnancy-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorders
VIDEOS
University of Salford - Empowering families affected by Fetal Alcohol
Spectrum Disorder
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is thought to affect thousands of
children across the UK, yet it remains widely under-recognised and poorly
understood. Anna Webster, from south Manchester, is helping to change that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRGCsFQ-suY
M.I. understanding - The
"S" in FASD changes everything
What does the "spectrum" in FASD actually mean? 🤔
It means that same diagnosis, completely different brains! We’re breaking down
how everyone with FASD has their own unique mix of strengths and challenges,
and bringing the facts straight to your feed in Part 3 of our social series:
What is FASD?
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/phI3NUzHIbg
College of Health - The
Enduring Impact of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
at Midlife
Dr. Susan Stoner (University of Washington) presents the inaugural Schild
Nicholson Neurodiversity Lecture: "Enduring Impact of Prenatal Alcohol
Exposure — Research Examining Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders at
Midlife."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZyX3tuW6gc
Canadian Child Care
Federation CCCF-FCSGE - Understanding FASD in Early Learning: New Online
Course
What is FASD and how can early childhood educators support young children
who may be affected? In this webinar recording, presenter Kathy Unsworth
discusses Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in early learning environments
and introduces CanFASD’s brand-new online training course.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBC6sO9UzPo
VideoParliament
Ireland - Sharon Keogan: Calls for Statutory FASD Diagnosis Pathway
Sharon Keogan urged the Department of Health and the HSE to establish a
statutory clinical diagnosis pathway for Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
(FASD) after attending a recent briefing and the FASD conference in Ennis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAoSJDjI4Yw
FASD United (formerly
NOFAS) - Glimpses of FASD - Meet Rylee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWNWNweNMYY
FASD United (formerly
NOFAS) - What the FASD Respect Act Teaches Us About Building Policy - FASD
Research Conference 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nwZsPLjmdk
FASD Training
Australia - FASD, Complex neurodivergence and Empathy 2026
Learn about the brain domains, skills and abilities underlying empathy and
how these can be impacted.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nlUxphJUdQ
Administration for
Children and Families (ACF) - From Evidence to Impact: Prevention Education
to Address Child Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation
This webinar highlights
approaches for researchers and decision-makers in schools, nonprofits, and
other institutions who are considering integrating prevention education into
existing programming.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JRbqEgqhTA
Neurological warrior –
DJP - Dr. Liam Curran on FASD: Social Work Practice; Challenges and
Opportunities
Across health, social care, education, and community services,
professionals and caregivers are increasingly encountering children, young
people, and adults whose needs cannot be understood through a purely medical
lens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JukoKeNLyu8
CanFASD - Emerging
Action in Research: CanFASD Trainee Webinar Series 2026 Part 1
In 2026, eleven trainees participated in the CanFASD Trainee Program. This
is a chance to learn what the next generation of Canadian FASD researchers and
providers are accomplishing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6qCpSTTZ3A
Avoiding the Addiction
Affliction – "Proof Alliance, Addressing FASDs" with Mollie
O’Brien
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) affect up to 1 in 20 people and is
particularly prevalent among young people in the adoption and fostering system.
As a hidden brain injury, FASDs can manifest in ways that often lead to
challenging behaviors, which makes diagnosis and intervention challenging.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF-uAZjbjQU
Patricia Kasper, Your
FASD Coach - Harrison’s Hope: Building a Lifespan Support System with Mary
Byrnes
In this deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation, Patti is joined by
Mary Byrnes, founder of Harrison’s Hope, a Canadian charity dedicated to
supporting families living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB_WYS3zz0c
Harrison's Hope FASD -
FASD, Polyvagal Theory & Caregiver Support with Tanya Eichler |
Harrison’s Hope Webinar
What happens when we stop seeing behavior as “misbehavior” and start
understanding it as the nervous system doing its best to survive?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR0PFFC1L-w
RESEARCH
ERIC - Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Diagnostic Clinics in Canada:
"It Wouldn't Happen if Nobody Wanted It to Happen"
We address the question: If you wanted to start a fetal alcohol spectrum
disorder (FASD) diagnostic clinic, what would you need to do, think about, and
plan for, from a policy perspective?
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1505391
Alcohol - The
Effects of Developmental Ethanol Exposure & Postnatal Choline
Supplementation on Long-Term Choline Metabolism
Although alcohol likely impacts fetal development through many mechanisms,
PAE could impact metabolism of choline, an essential nutrient that is important
for brain development and function.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0741832926002132
bioRxiv - Epileptiform
Discharges Drive Unique High-frequency Oscillations Within the Retrosplenial
Cortex of Mice with Third Trimester Alcohol Exposure
We observed a large number of Epileptiform Discharges (EDs) in
alcohol-exposed subjects compared to controls, which were found to drive with
High-frequency Oscillations (HFOs).
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.04.729968v1.abstract
University of
Saskatchewan - Advancing National Strategies for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder:
The Role of Mela et al.’s Research in Supporting Bill S-234
This paper synthesizes research led by Dr. Mansfield Mela to highlight the
potential of this framework in addressing systemic inequities, reducing
Indigenous over incarceration, and diverting economic resources to prevention.
https://sencanada.ca/Content/Sen/Committee/451/SOCI/briefs/SOCI_S-234_Brief_Dr-Mansfield-Mela_e.pdf
University of
Edinburgh - Health professionals’ views and experiences of Fetal Alcohol
Spectrum Disorder (FASD): “If we’re not thinking FASD, we’re not assessing it,
we’re not diagnosing it”
Multi-disciplinary approaches and neurodevelopmental assessment
pathways/services can support complexity in FASD practice. Clinician roles in
diagnostic practice can contribute to positive experiences of diagnosis,
disability, and identity for young people.
https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/publications/health-professionals-views-and-experiences-of-fetal-alcohol-spect/
Nursing Problems - The
impact of smoking and alcohol consumption on fetal development: a review
The review is based on the available Polish literature from the last 16
years, selected by the keywords presented above. Cigarettes and alcohol are the
most popular stimulants, used by millions of people around the world every day.
https://www.termedia.pl/The-impact-of-smoking-and-alcohol-consumption-on-fetal-development-a-review,134,57971,1,1.html
SSRN - Neurodevelopmental
deficit risk in infants: the role of prenatal alcohol exposure and selected
maternal micronutrient mediation
PAE demonstrated sex-specific neurodevelopmental effects. Male infants
appeared more vulnerable to direct alcohol-related deficits but also showed
measurable compensatory benefit from combined maternal nutrients.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6948787
University of Calgary
- Cortical Morphology and its Relation to Mental Health in Youth with
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
Youth with PAE experience mental health challenges at disproportionate
rates compared to the general population, which are likely rooted in brain
differences compared to unexposed youth. Relationships between structural
cortical development and mental health outcomes have not been well investigated
in the context of PAE.
https://ucalgary.scholaris.ca/items/958548ac-7420-4ced-a3c8-715416c37818
Alcohol Clinical and
Experimental Research - A Systematic Review of International Guidelines for
Addressing Alcohol Use Disorder in Pregnancy
We systematically reviewed international clinical practice guidelines to
examine how they address the full cascade of AUD care during pregnancy,
including diagnosis, engagement, treatment initiation, and retention.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/acer.70330
Neuroscience Letters -
Prenatal alcohol exposure differently affects seizure susceptibility and
severity depending on its mechanism of induction: role of excitatory synapses
and parvalbumin-positive interneurons
These results suggest that PAE promotes increased presence of PV+
interneurons in the somatosensory neocortex, which in turn, may promote a
homeostatic enhancement of excitatory circuitry to maintain E/I balance.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304394026001485
medRxiv - Distinct
Resting-State Functional Connectivity Profiles in ADHD with and without
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
These results are consistent with other MRI findings indicating that
ADHD+PAE is neurally distinct from ADHD-PAE; PAE may be associated with broadly
reduced connectivity, especially across cerebellar–cerebral cortical systems.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.05.25.26354061v1
American Journal of
Preventive Medicine - Neighborhood Deprivation and Contrasting Patterns of
Prenatal Alcohol, Cannabis, and Nicotine Use
Neighborhood deprivation showed opposing associations across substances,
with lower alcohol use but substantially higher cannabis and nicotine use in
more deprived neighborhoods.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S074937972600228X
CDC - Alcohol
Consumption During Pregnancy Among Women Aged 18–49 Years — United States,
2021–2024
Clinical approaches, such as routine screening for alcohol consumption and
mental health conditions during pregnancy, and community-level approaches, such
as point-of-sale warning signs or alcohol sales taxes, might help reduce
alcohol consumption during pregnancy and its associated adverse pregnancy and
birth outcomes.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/75/wr/mm7522a2.htm
