FEATURES

NOFAS FREE Webinar

Dr. Ken Jones: Alcohol and Pregnancy: What Have We Learned in 40 Years? April 16, 2014. 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST. This FREE Webinar, presented by renowned dysmorphologist and clinical teratologist, Kenneth Lyons Jones, M.D will discuss the evolution of our understanding of Fasd and identify issues that continue to be unanswered today. Dr. Kenneth Lyons Jones is the Chief of the Division of Dysmorphology/Teratology at the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego, and, along with Dr. David Smith, identified and named Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in 1973. Register here.

Tools for Parents

New NOFAS Webpage: Tools for Parents and Caregivers NOFAS has compiled these tips to help make your daily life easier. Whether worried about an infant, difficulty raising a child, trouble working with an FASD adult, or struggling as an educator, these practical interventions may help to ease your concerns. With each stage of life providing a new challenge, these strategies will assist at providing the most successful care for your FASD child.

Research News

Prevalence and Predictors of Maternal Alcohol Consumption in 2 Regions of Ukraine A study in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research found that among pregnant women who were ever drinkers, “54.8% reported drinking alcohol in the month around conception and 12.9% consumed at least 3 drinks on at least 1 day in that time period. In the most recent month of pregnancy, 46.3% continued to report alcohol use and 9.2% consumed at least 3 drinks per day.”

FASD Community News

Children in Juvenile Detention to be Screened for FASD in Australia “Children at Western Australia’s sole juvenile detention center will participate in a study to determine if they have FASD. Researchers are developing a FASD screening test to be used on 200 youths, aged between 10 and 17… With some earlier identification, it is hoped that some alternative sentencing strategies might be more appropriate for these kids,” – Nine News

European FASD Groups Oppose Criminalizing Drinking while Pregnant Several FASD organization including The European FASD Alliance released a statement saying, “Punishing women who drink during pregnancy will make it LESS likely that their damaged children receive help. Women will not ask for help for their children, because they will not want to admit drinking during the pregnancy. Doctors will not diagnose Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, if, by so doing, they will sentence the mother to punishment. Thus the children will also be punished by receiving no help.”

FASD Center for Excellence

FASD Research Review A new feature for Excellence for Alcohol Awareness Month. There is information on alcohol’s damage to the placenta early in pregnancy and how children prenatally exposed to alcohol show effects of generalized brain damage.

State Spotlight: Maryland’s FASD Efforts “At the SAMHSA FASD Center for Excellence, we are excited to spotlight State-level accomplishments and the continued commitment and dedication by the Maryland DHMH to address and educate Maryland residents on FASD.”

Survey

FASD Health Provider Survey The Arc has an online survey for health care providers. Results from the survey will assist in designing educational and prevention materials for health care providers to use when talking about alcohol use with female patients or clients.

Videos

Lyn Laboriel, MD, Director of FASD Clinic at Violence Intervention Program “Dr. Lyn Laboriel explains the global pandemic of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and some of the methods the Violence Intervention Program is using to address it.”

James Reynolds on Research into Diagnosing FASD “James N. Reynolds, PhD, shares information about his research into new ways of diagnosing brain injury in children who are undergoing diagnosis for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder at an April 8, 2014 public lecture organized by the Research Institute at Hotel Dieu Hospital.”

Webinars

Dr. Ken Jones: Alcohol and Pregnancy: What Have We Learned in 40 Years? April 16, 2014. 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST. This FREE Webinar, presented by renowned dysmorphologist and clinical teratologist, Kenneth Lyons Jones, M.D will discuss the evolution of our understanding of FASD and identify issues that continue to be unanswered today. Dr. Kenneth Lyons Jones is the Chief of the Division of Dysmorphology/Teratology at the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego, and, along with Dr. David Smith, identified and named Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in 1973.

FASD Webinar Series from “Families Affected by FASD” “7-week comprehensive webinars on living with and caring for individuals with FASD start the end of April. 2 weeks left to register! Webinars follow a 7-week, 2.25 hour time frame for a full 18 hours of class time (including work at home). Webinars are interactive and participatory (via phone, instant messaging) and will be archived for a limited period of time for participants only. Webinars are limited to 12 participants.”

MOFAS Hand-in-Hand Web Series May 1st – May 29th “MOFAS in collaboration with Bethany Christian Services will offer an online Hand-in-Hand Series. The series is an opportunity for parents, caregivers, and professionals who care and support those who have received or suspect a fetal alcohol diagnosis to come together to learn about FASD in a supportive and informal setting. The 5-part series will be presented on consecutive Thursday’s in May over the Noon hour CST.

Events

Scientific and Legal Aspects of FASD April 22, 23 and 24. Nebraska. “This two-part training will address both the scientific and legal aspects of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. In the first half, Dr. Burd will address the prevalence of prenatal alcohol use and the costs to the state of Nebraska… In the second half, attorney William Edwards will provide a forensic context of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder to help juvenile attorneys, caseworkers, and juvenile justice professionals understand the neurodevelopmental issues that may impact a child’s actions in school, foster care placement, juvenile detention and community settings.”

Conference in Vermont with NOFAS’ Kathy Mitchell April 24 & 25, 2014. Brattleboro, Vermont. “Creating a Circle of Hope: The Role of the Medical Provider in Identifying, Intervening and Preventing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). An overview of current research on diagnosis, prevention and intervention of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Sponsored by Early Education Services and Rocking Horse Circle of Support.”

FASD: Attachment; Trauma; Implications for Managing Behavioral Challenges April 29, 2014. Silver Spring, MD. “Join Us for a Dynamic Workshop Led by Lois Ehrmann, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, speaker, clinician and expert on FASD and childhood attachment and trauma! This conference is for therapists, child welfare professionals, educators and parents who want to learn about this under recognized, complex and pervasive disorder.”

Workshop for Parents and Professionals in Raleigh, NC May 3, 2014. “Sponsored by FAFASD. At The Arc of NC, 343 East Six Forks Rd., Suite 320 , Raleigh , NC 27609 Workshop for parents and professionals. $25, payable through paypal (send to [email protected]), check or money order mailed to FAFASD, PO Boc 427, Pittsboro, NC, 27312. Payment can also be made morning of the workshop. Please contact FAFASD to register: [email protected]”