Did you know that on average, twice as many kids are killed while walking on Halloween as compared to any other day of the year? Read More

MEETS NOCSAE STANDARDS, what does that mean? If your child plays football, or you know a child who plays football, or you care about child safety here is a must read article about helmet safety.

The NOFAS Weekly Roundup features news articles, research, event announcements, new materials and other highlights from around the world of FASD. The Roundup also includes the latest news from NOFAS and a link to the Calendar of Events page on the NOFAS website.

FEATURES

How much alcohol is safe?

Dr. Ira Chasnoff of the Children’s Research Triangle analyzes the recent study on light drinking.

Article, Dr. Ira Chasnoff, October 18, 2010

Drinking While Pregnant: Do women really need to abstain completely?

Examination of the recent study on light drinking during pregnancy.

Article, Slate, October 12, 2010

No safe drinking level in pregnancy, specialist asserts

Dr. Timothy Naimi recommends that pregnant women not change their thinking based on the recent light drinking study from the United Kingdom.

Article, The Boston Globe, October 7, 2010

Effects linger for children of women who drink during pregnancy

St. Louis University studies the long-term affects of alcohol-use during pregnancy and offers developing interventions for young people with an FASD.

Article, St. Louis Today, October 14, 2010

President Obama Signs in to law S.2781, “Rosa’s Law”

President Barack Obama recently signed in to law S. 2781,  “Rosa’s Law,” which changes references from “mental retardation” to “intellectual disability”.

Statement, The White House, October 5, 2010

CDC Vital Signs – Binge Drinking

The CDC presents the latest findings and data on the dangers of binge drinking.

Article, CDC, October 2010

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is October 24- 30, 2010

Today, childhood lead poisoning is considered the most preventable environmental disease among young children, yet an estimated 250,000 U.S. children have elevated blood-lead levels. A simple blood test can prevent permanent damage that will last a lifetime. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is committed to eliminating this burden to public health.

National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (NLPPW)
CDC and HHS share the goal of eliminating childhood lead poisoning in the United States. NLPPW occurs every year during the last full week in October (Senate. Resolution 199). During NLPPW, CDC aims to:

* Raise awareness about lead poisoning;
* Stress the importance of screening the highest risk children younger than 6 years of age (preferably by ages 1 and 2) if they have not been tested yet;
* Highlight partner’s efforts to prevent childhood lead poisoning; and
* Urge people to take steps to reduce lead exposure.

During NLPPW, many states and communities offer free blood-lead testing and conduct various education and awareness events.

Source: CDC Website

Can stress reduce your chances for becoming pregnant? Read this article to find out what a current research study says about stress and pregnancy.

A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), required by the 2008 Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act, examines the effectiveness of current health care and family support programs for the families of children with disabilities. In the report, GAO focused on Down syndrome because it is a medical condition that is associated with disabilities and occurs frequently enough to yield a sufficient population size for an analysis. GAO examined what is known about the extent to which children with Down syndrome receive medical care during early childhood and what resources families of children with Down syndrome receive through their health care providers, as well as what barriers families face to using these resources

The report is available at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d1157.pdf.

In May 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Disability awarded Mathematica Policy Research Inc. a $7 million contract to establish a Center of Excellence for Research on Disability Services.  This two-year project, funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, is building a foundation for comparative effectiveness research (CER) on health care services, supports, and models of care for adults with disabilities.  Specifically, the Center is:

Identifying and reviewing evidence on which services and care models work best for whom
Developing and prioritizing critical research questions
Creating unique linked data sets to make it possible to research these questions
Establishing criteria and standards for assessing the effectiveness of services and models
Conducting original research that applies these standards

You learn more about the Center for Excellence for Disability Research at http://www.hhs.gov/disabilityresearch/index.html