To read an interesting article that appeared in Tuesday’s NY Times about concussions and contact sports click here.

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.

NOFAS

FASD Story – CJ talks about her birth mother

Watch the Video

FASD Story: CJ, a young woman with FASD from Canada, shares her story with NOFAS
at the International Conference on FASD in Vancouver.  CJ talks about her birth
mother and tells a moving story of transitioning from anger to understanding
after seeing a birth mother’s panel discussion.

NOFAS Hosts Press Conference on FASD and the Criminal Justice System

On November 17, NOFAS hosted a press conference entitled FASD and the Criminal
Justice System at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Featured panelists
and speakers included: Dr. Edward Riley, Billy Edwards, J.D., Dr. Stephen
Greenspan, Dr. Fred Bookstein, Dr. George Woods, Hon. Tony Wartnik, Dr. Rich
Adler, Kay Kelly, Karen Thiel, Ph.D., J.D., Kate Boyce, J.D., Kathy Mitchell,
M.H.S. and Karli Schrider.  Video excerpts of the press conference will be
available in the coming weeks on the NOFAS YouTube page, AlcoholFreePregnancy.

Circle of Hope/Birth Mother’s Network Holiday Newsletter <http://nofas.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0c4e3277b83599d7092769953&id=be4297b6fe&e=ad44716d8a>

A warm update from the Circle of Hope/Birth Mother’s Network!

Karli and the Star of the Week Now Available in German!

NOFAS’ beloved children’s book, Karli and the Star of the Week has recently been
translated in to German by the organization, FASD Deutschland.  Paper copies
will be available from FASD Deutschland in early 2012.

Call for Artwork for the 2011 NOFAS Holiday Card!
NOFAS is seeking individuals with FASD who are interested in illustrating the
2011 NOFAS holiday card.  Please submit festive, holiday-themed drawings on
non-lined 8 ½ x 11 inch white paper.  All artwork must be drawn with markers,
signed by the artist and include a holiday message, (example: Happy Holidays,
Seasons Greetings, etc).  Please send your artwork to NOFAS at the address below
in a large envelope, and DO NOT fold drawings. Folded and damaged artwork will
not be able to be considered.  Or, you can create a full-color, high resolution
image by scanning your illustration and emailing it to montgomery@nofas.org
<mailto:montgomery@nofas.org> .

Please submit all drawings by Wednesday, November 30th to:
Brianna Montgomery
NOFAS
1200 Eton Court, NW
Third Floor
Washington, DC 20007

Join NOFAS for the 2011 Metropolitan Washington FASD Parent Support Group
Holiday Brunch!
You are invited to the Metropolitan Washington FASD Parent Support Group Holiday
Brunch, Saturday, December 3rd from 10:30 a.m. to Noon at Uncle Julio’s Rio
Grande Cafe in Gaithersburg, Maryland.  Please RSVP to Brianna Montgomery at
montgomery@nofas.org <mailto:montgomery@nofas.org>  or 202-785-4585 ext. 102 by
Monday, November 28 if you wish to attend.  Please join us for this special
gathering and meet other families living with FASD!

FEATURES

Pregnancy and alcohol don’t mix

Jean Richmond Bowman offers a word of caution to women of childbearing age:
drink responsibly over the holidays and abstain from alcohol completely if you
are pregnant.
Article, Arizona Daily Sun, November 20, 2011

FASD awareness dance held at Friendship Centre

The Portage Friendship Centre of Canada recently hosted a dance to raise
awareness of FASD.
Article, The Daily Graphic, November 20, 2011

Chris Beach’s New Novel Tackles Problems in Foster Care System

Author Chris Beach of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada recently released “Indian Joe
Blow: Pishikii-Kigeet-Black Eagle Thunderbird Man”, a story of a young man with
FAS that falls through the cracks of the foster care system.
Article, PR Web, November 19, 2011

Developmentally disabled man brutally beaten in Burien

A 21-year-old man with FASD was severely beaten on his way home from work on
November 17.  Individuals with FASD and other developmental disabilities are
often the victims of crime.
Article, The Seattle Times, November 18, 2011

Pregnant mums warned over drinking

Dr. Shonag Mackenzie of Northumbria Healthcare Trust of the United Kingdom warns
of the danger in light consumption messaging for pregnant women.
Article, Sunderland Echo, November 17, 2011

Pregnant smoking, drinking dangers snubbed

The Australian Institute of Family Studies recently found that 38% of women
continue to drink alcohol during their pregnancies despite strong warnings from
the Australian government.
Article, The West Australian, November 15, 2011

Feds fund study to determine cost of fetal alcohol disorders

The Conservative government of Canada will conduct a study to determine the
comprehensive economic impacts of FASD.  Understanding these costs is essential
for addressing FASD in Canada and across the world.
Article, iPolitics (Canada), November 14, 2011

The J.M. Smucker Company Announces a Limited Voluntary Recall on Two Specific Best-If-Used-By Dates of 16 oz. Smucker’s® Natural Peanut Butter Chunky Due to Possible Health Risk

Click this link to read more details about the peanut butter recall.

If you have heard about the recall of chicken livers read about the facts. Click on this link New York Firm Recalls Broiled Chicken Liver Products Linked to Salmonellosis Illnesses.

NOFAS

Attend the NOFAS Press Conference on FASD and the Justice System!
NOFAS is pleased to invite you to attend a press conference on Thursday,
November 17, 2011, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. at the National Press Club in
Washington, D.C. to highlight the range of issues surrounding Fetal
Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and the justice system as featured in
the Winter 2010 and Spring 2011 issues of the Journal of Psychiatry &
Law. The press conference will be headlined by FASD and legal experts,
including Dr. Edward Riley, Billy Edwards, Esq., Dr. Stephen Greenspan,
Dr. Fred Bookstein, Dr. George Woods, Dr. Rich Adler, The Honorable Tony
Wartnik, and Kay Kelly.  Please RSVP by Tuesday, November 15th to
Brianna Montgomery at NOFAS, montgomery@nofas.org
<mailto:montgomery@nofas.org>  or (202) 785-4585 Ext. 102.

FEATURES

Homeless kids overlooked: In Fairbanks, hundreds lack safe harbors

Hundreds of young people in Fairbanks, Alaska are homeless, many of whom
have FASD.
Article, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, November 5, 2011

Adoptive parents raise awareness about FASD

Nora and Randy Boesem and their family of nine children with FASD are
helping to raise awareness of FASD in South Dakota.
Article, NewellCommunity.net, November 5, 2011

Research Campus expert lands big grant for fetal alcohol syndrome
research

Dr. Philip May, a leading expert on FASD and 2011 NOFAS Excellence Award
recipient, has earned a nearly nine million dollar grant to study the
prevalence and characteristics of FASD in the U.S.
Article, Salisbury Post, November 4, 2011

Screen all prison inmates for fetal alcohol syndrome, doctor urges

Dr. Albert Chudley, a leading FASD expert from Winnipeg is encouraging
prisons to screen inmates for FASD to reduce the number of repeat
offenders through getting those affected the assistance they need before
and after they are incarcerated.
Article, Edmonton Journal, November 4, 2011

Effects Of Alcohol Consumption By Pregnant Moms

A recent national survey shows that nearly one third of women consumed
alcohol at one point during their pregnancy.
Article, Betty Ford Institute, November 3, 2011

Four-fifths of women drank alcohol ‘close to conception’

According to a recent prevalence study from Coombe Women and Infants
University Hospital of Dublin, Ireland, 81% of women reported alcohol
consumption close to conception.
Article, Irish Medical Times, November 3, 2011

145 babies had alcohol withdrawal symptoms

New statistics show that over a three year period 145 newborns were born
with delirium tremens due to heavy alcohol exposure in the womb.
Article, Irish Independent, November 2, 2011

A new e-book on FASD is now available called “Prenatal Alcohol Use and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders:
Diagnosis, Asessment and New Directions in Research and Multimodal Treatment”

It is edited by Dr. Susan Adubato and Dr. Deborah Cohen. It is available through Benthan Science Publishers. It is a steal at $79! and all proceeds will go to NOFASNJ for future
trainings and conferences. You can add it to your e-book reader, or directly to your computer.  There are direct links and
videos that you can go to while you read the e book. A printable version of the book also will be available, but no direct
links or videos will be useable.
Order your copy of this cutting edge e-book TODAY by clicking on this link.

NOFAS

NOFAS Profile: Melissa Sienkiewicz, Michigan Coalition for Fetal Alcohol
Resources Education and Support (MCFARES)
Melissa Sienkiewicz discusses her work as a parent liaison to NOFAS
Michigan affiliate, MCFARES.

FASD Parent – Melissa Sienkiewicz on daughter Faith

Watch the Video featuring Melissa Sienkiewicz

Please Consider Adopting

The Norfolk County Council of the United Kingdom is calling for
potential adopters to offer permanent homes to foster children, many of
whom have FASD.
Article, Fenland C

UMD student filmmakers create documentary on ball slasher

Two University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) filmmaking students have
created a short documentary on Christopher John Bjerkness, a young man
with FAS that has been convicted of slashing exercise balls at UMD and
several Duluth area hospitals.  The students hope that their documentary
will raise awareness of his disorder and why he has poor impulse
control.
Article, Duluth News Tribune, October 27, 2011

Percussion Software Announces CDC Web Site on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum
Disorders Deploys Percussion’s CM System to Drive Engagement and
Streamline Web Site Infrastructure

Percussion Software, a leading provider of Web Content Management (WCM)
software, recently announced that the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Prevention Team of the National Center on Birth Defects and
Developmental Disabilities of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) would be the first CDC program to use Percussion’s
advanced CM System.
Article, Marketwire, October 26, 2011

Wayne State to develop a computer-delivered intervention for alcohol useduring pregnancyResearchers at WayneState University’s Parent Health Lab in the Schoolof Medicine have received funding to develop an online screening, briefintervention, and referral for treatment (SBIRT) program to preventalcohol use during pregnancy.Article, EurekAlert, October 26, 2011

Children with Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Exhibit Deficits when
Regulating Isometric Force

Researchers at San Diego State University have learned children
prenatally exposed to alcohol experience deficits in isometric force
production that delay their ability to perform basic motor skills.
Research, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, October 20,
2011

FASD often an ‘invisible impairment’

Floyd Perras, Director of Siloam Mission of Canada talks about his
experience working with a young woman with FASD.
Article, Winnipeg Sun, October 18, 2011

Characteristics and behaviors of mothers who have a child with fetal
alcohol syndrome

Leading experts on FASD, including Louise Floyd of the Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome Prevention Team of the National Center on Birth Defects and
Developmental Disabilities of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), reveal the results of a four-state FAS Surveillance
Networkstudy on mothers of children with FAS.
Research, Neurotoxicology and Teratology, October 2011

Newly Completed FASD Cookbook and DVD Set

The students West Coast Alternate school of Canada have recently
developed two cookbooks.  These cookbooks are “look and cook” cookbooks
featuring photos to help the students with FASD that developed the books
to remember the recipes.
Material, Provincial Outreach Program for FASD, October 2011