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

Portage Friendship Centre looks to create awareness with FASD conference

The Portage Friendship Centre of Canada will host the “Tradition and
Western World Views on FASD and Strategies Conference” in November to
encourage FASD prevention and a better understanding of the disorder.

Article, The Daily Graphic, October 8, 2011

Addicted babies need task force

Florida Attorney General, Pam Bondi, recently called for a task force to
be formed to address the increasing number of cases of Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome in the state.

Article, News-Press.com, October 6, 2011

Angels in Adoption award goes to Newell family

South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson recently awarded Nora and Randy Boesem
of Newell, South Dakota with the Angels in Adoption award.  The Boesem’s
have nine adopted children, all who have FASD.

Article, NewellCommunity.com, October 5, 2011

University of the Fraser Valley professor to speak on new approaches to
helping children with FASD

University of the Fraser Valley kinesiologist, Dr. Chris Bertram focuses
on the strengths of FASD children to improve their motor skills.

Article, Chilliwack Times, October 3, 2011

Available for Public Comment: Maternity Care Measure Set

Patient Safety and Quality Improvement of The American Congress of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is looking for public comment on
the Maternity Care measure set. The comment period is open until 5:00
p.m. CDT on Saturday, October 29, 2011.

Public Comment, ACOG, October 2011

Self-reported Alcohol and Drug Use in Pregnant Young Women: A Pilot
Study of Associated Factors and Identification

Recent NOFAS FASD Hall of Fame inductee Dr. Grace Chang reveals study
results from self-reported substance use in pregnant young women.

Study, Journal of Addiction Medicine, September 2011

NOFAS

NOFAS Vice President and International Spokesperson, Kathy Mitchell
responds to popular NBC show, Parenthood.  Last week’s episode featured
a scene in which a pregnant woman drinks champagne at her baby shower.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

A small study has found that babies exposed to methamphetamine and alcohol before birth have smaller caudate nucleus regions in the brain than non-exposed children or children exposed to alcohol only in the womb, HealthDay News reported March 17.

Researchers compared brain scans of 13 children exposed to alcohol before birth, 21 children exposed to meth and alcohol, and 27 children who were not exposed to either drug.

The caudite nucleus assists in learning, memory, motor control and motivation.

“We know that alcohol exposure is toxic to the developing fetus and can result in lifelong brain, cognitive and behavioral problems,” said researcher Elizabeth Sowell of the University of California at Los Angeles. “In this study, we show that the effects of prenatal meth exposure, or the combination of meth and alcohol exposure, may actually be worse. Our findings stress the importance of drug abuse treatment for pregnant women.”

The findings were published March 17, 2010 in the Journal of Neuroscience.

A federally funded treatment and prevention program is being credited with a 32-percent decline in fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) cases among Native Americans in Alaska,  Anchorage Daily News reported Feb. 19.

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.

If you don’t know, the results from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health are now available.  This survey provides invaluable information on when Americans first begin to drink, use drugs and smoke cigarettes and how much of these substances is consumed. 
National Findings

“Put Down That Drink If You Are Pregnant” is the title of a podcast developed by CDC. This podcast discusses the danger of drinking alcohol during pregnancy. You can  hear the podcast by clicking on the link below:

birthdefects_alcohol

Can moderate alcohol use during pregnancy be linked to behavioral problems in children was the question addressed in a recent study. The findings were published in the Dec. 6, 2008 issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Below is a summary of the report.

Women who consume even one alcoholic drink weekly while pregnant are more likely to have children with behavioral problems than women who abstain, Reuters Health reported Dec. 3.Researchers reviewed data from the Minnesota Twins Family Study, focusing on 1,252 17-year-old participants and their parents, and found that 31 percent of children whose mothers reported drinking at least one drink per week while pregnant were diagnosed with conduct disorders as teenagers, compared to 21 percent among teens whose mothers did not drink during pregnancy.

The study authors also found that 44 percent of mothers diagnosed with alcoholism who drank during pregnancy had children with conduct disorders, more than twice the rate among alcoholic mothers who abstained while pregnant.

Mothers who drank during pregnancy (13 percent) were also more likely to smoke, but when the researchers controlled for smoking and other behaviors, they found that prenatal alcohol exposure was independently linked to higher prevalence of behavioral problems such as shoplifting, aggression towards animals and people, and arson.

“If women stop drinking during pregnancy, they can save themselves a lot of heartache later,” said study author Elizabeth Disney of Chase Braxton Health Services in Baltimore, Md. “Being the parent of a child with conduct disorder is really frustrating.”