|
The Listening Heart
New documentary that chronicles the challenges of children, parents and families as they struggle with the consequences of Fatal Alcohol Syndrome. The director/producer of Listening Heart is Gabe Chasnoff who is also the son of Dr. Ira Chasnoff, who appears in the film. Dr. Chasnoff is one of the leading researchers in the field of maternal drug use during pregnancy and the effects on the newborn infant and child. Available in DVD and VHS. ++++++++++ Washington County to Screen for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD)
Skagit County, Washington is one of five jurisdictions in the country to receive grant awards from SAMHSA to screen for FASD. The program will target youths in the justice system and will look beyond the visible effects for any sign of brain damage. About one in every 1,000 Americans has fetal alcohol syndrome, about the same rate as Down syndrome.
Many more have brain damage caused by fetal alcohol exposure.
People who work in this field will remind you that this birth defect is completely preventable. If a mother does not drink alcohol during pregnancy, her children will not be born with FASD.
++++++++++ Successfully Raising Resilient Foster Children Who Have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: What Works? This article from the Manitoba Journal of Child Welfare describes the author’s examination of the factors that contribute to successful foster home placement for children with FASD through a study conducted with long-term foster parents. Particular attention is paid to specific problems facing parents of adolescents.
++++++++++ Teen’s FAS Diagnosis Changes Judge’s Decision
A South Dakota judge has deviated from the state’s mandatory one year sentence of a student who was convicted of selling methamphetamine at school because the defendant was diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome.
++++++++++ Project Sheds Light on Disability Born of Alcohol This article looks at the effects of FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) and how people with this disorder interact with law enforcement and the courts. A federally funded project involving King County (Seattle) prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, mental health professionals and others, is aimed at recognizing the disability for what it is: brain damage that makes people more likely to end up in court and less able to navigate the system when they do. FASD affects one in 100 babies and is a lifelong, irreversible and 100% preventable problem that could be totally eradicated if pregnant women would refrain from drinking alcohol during pregnancy. This brief fact sheet from SAMHSA on FASD is intended for elementary school teachers, but is packed full of facts and information for the rest of us too. ++++++++++ Grant Opportunity: FASD Capacity Building and Implementation Grants for Juvenile Courts The Fetal Alcohol Spectrums Disorders Center for Excellence is requesting proposals from juvenile, dependency, or family court service units to mobilize and build capacity of local juvenile courts to develop and implement policies and procedures to identify, diagnose, and treat juveniles with FASD. Organizations can request up to $145,000 for the first planning year and up to $276,000 per year for each of the four option years. Proposal deadline: November 23. Click on the link above for complete RFP and details. ++++++++++ Hope for Kids with FAS (you have to register. It's easy and relatively painless.) New findings from the University of Washington indicate that those children diagnosed early with FAS and who grow up in a stable, nurturing home are much less likely to have the problems that plague so many. Children with early diagnoses and from stable homes are two to four times less likely to have some of the most significant problems of FAS. Accompanying this article in the Seattle Times is a letter written as a ninth-grader by a woman with FAS to her teachers to help them understand how she learns best. ++++++++++ A Letter for Adolescents and Adults with FAS/FAE -- and More Ann Streissguth, Ph.D., the head of the Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit at the University Of Washington School Of Medicine, wrote this letter to campers at the first summer camp in the United States for adolescents and adults with FAS/FAE. Its contents are full of facts, advice and information presented in a warm and affectionate manner. FADU – Click here to visit the web pages of the Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit at the University of Washington. National Association on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - Information, web site, resource, and advocacy organization. The link above will take to you a FAQ page with answers to commonly asked questions. ++++++++++ Fetal Brains Suffer Badly From Effects of Alcohol An article in the New York Times examines new research into the effects of alcohol on the developing infant brain. Alcohol can cause a variety of birth defects including neurological problems, low birth weight, mental retardation and a set of facial malformations. In the first trimester of pregnancy drinking can lead to facial malformations. In the second trimester, it can interrupt nerve formation in the brain, and in the third trimester it can kill existing neurons and interfere with nervous system development. ++++++++++ FAS/FAE Resources The Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit of the University of Washington School of Medicine and School of Law was pretty new when I last reported about the resources it has for you. The site has expanded and offers these new resources: FAS/FAE Related Court Cases – A summary of 130+ state and federal cases in which FAS/FAE was a factor. The cases are made available in several categories for easy searching Resources – Available by state. Information here includes information about doctors and others who diagnose FAS, FAE, and ARND (Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder) Community Resources and Family Support Groups, and Prevention programs, including medical treatment for women. ++++++++++ FAS/FAE Legal Issues Resource Center The University of Washington’s School of Law and its Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit are collaborating to construct the FAS/FAE Legal Issues Resource Center. Research on a variety of subjects is now being loaded on the Resource Center web page. FAS/E and the Criminal Justice System is now up and accessible. Juvenile Justice Issues, Education Plan Entitlement, Adoption Issues, and others will follow soon. Click on FAS/E and the Criminal Justice System and again on Dealing With Police to look at the “Medical Information Card” an individual with FAS/FAE can present to the police explaining his or her disability. This section also presents a general guide for dealing with the police. ++++++++++ FAS – FAE – FASD I asked a friend who is an expert in this field for her choices as the best, most authoritative web sites on FAS. She directed me to the web pages of the Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit at the University of Washington School of Medicine and to the “in development” SAMHSA/CSAP FAS Center for Excellence. Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit at the U. of Washington - You will find an excellent set of links for resources, a reprint service, publications, and all round good, solid information here. Several of the publications are available for downloading. FAS Center for Excellence – FASD Center for Excellence is conducting a series of Town Hall meetings the around the country. The Center is actually asking what parents, children and professionals need. These town halls take testimony from people with FASD, their caregivers, and professionals who provide services to them. Here are the dates for three upcoming Town Hall meetings: § Wednesday, March, 26 – Los Angeles , California § Thursday, April 24, 2003 – Rapid City , South Dakota § Wednesday, May 21, 2003 – Buffalo , New York For details go to the Event Calendar and click on the specific event. Check the calendar for locations and dates of other regional Town Halls the Center will conduct throughout the year. For details . Check the calendar for locations and dates of other regional Town Halls the Center will conduct throughout the year. While this web site is only partially up at this date, it will offer resources, articles and program information. It does presently offer information about FAS lead organizations dedicated to educating, preventing and treating FAS. |
Subject Library 
