The $29-million program, which also included a multimedia education campaign, “did turn the corner,” said Diane Casto of the state Division of Behavioral Health. “What we know about prevention … you need to get the message out strongly, consistently, over and over again. It gave a good kick-start.”

The rate of children born with FAS among native populations declined from about 20 per 10,000 births in 1996 to 13.5 in 2002, according to state officials. Also, fewer children were born with alcohol spectrum disorders.

By contrast, the FAS rate among non-Native residents in Alaska did not drop.

You can read more studies about alcohol consumption at Join Together.

Teleconference Description

In The School and Society John Dewey writes that, “From the standpoint of the child, the great waste in the school comes from his inability to utilize the experiences he gets outside the school in any complete and free way within the school itself; while on the other hand, he is unable to apply in daily life what he is learning at school. That is the isolation of the school – its isolation from life.”  This isolation is even more profound for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

In Schools of  To-morrow John Dewey expands this with, “[t]he child is best prepared for life as an adult by experiencing in childhood what has meaning to him as a child.”  The present method of identifying an appropriate placement for child with a disability within a school frequently ignores the influence that the environment has on the child and instead focuses almost exclusively on the child’s disabilities independent of the environmental confounders.

Dr. Ibata’s talk will explore those environmental influences known to impact the health, behavior and academic achievement of the child.  To achieve full societal inclusion and participation for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities reasonable accommodations to the school environment must be considered as part of any placement decision.  Only with safe and healthy school environment will a disabled child be able to achieve full adaptive behavior potential as an adult. 

Call Details

WHEN:  Tuesday April 13th, 2010

TIME:   2-3pm Eastern Time
(Please dial in a few minutes before 2:00 p.m. so we can start on time!)

Moderator:  Laura Abulafia, MHS

MATERIAL:  Go to the Initiative website at www.aaidd.org/ehi and click on the button that says next teleconference.  There you will find the announcement with logistical information and the presentation under “materials” to down load or follow along on your computer. 
For more information on the teleconference series or AAIDD’s Environmental Health Initiative, contact:  Laura Abulafia at Laura@aaidd.org or visit the website at www.aaidd.org/ehi. Thank you.

Here is the brochure,

Here is the registration form

Also, if you have paper work ready to send in please call and let Dr. Wilson know.

Hope to see you there.

College students have been ordering the pocket shots and getting them delivered at their schools with no problem despite many being underage.  Read more about this problem at http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/investigates/308-pocket-shots-concern-colleges