Tag Archives: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

The Arc Responds to New Report on Alcohol Intake During Pregnancy

Posted on by

Washington, DC – The Arc is concerned about new research released earlier this week from Denmark stating that drinking low to moderate levels of alcohol during early pregnancy will cause no ill effects to children. The Arc’s over 700 chapters have a long history of raising awareness, educating and providing training to their communities about the dangers of drinking while pregnant. Unfortunately, studies like this serve to minimize alcohol’s severe effects on an unborn baby, placing doubt in the minds of mothers about the actual risk of drinking while pregnant. When studies are released that suggest alcohol intake can be safe during pregnancy, The Arc takes the opportunity to speak up and educate the public about the very real dangers of drinking while pregnant.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) describe the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects can include physical, behavioral, mental and/or learning disabilities with possible lifelong implications. FASD affects an estimated 40,000 infants each year – more than Spina Bifida, Down Syndrome and Muscular Dystrophy combined.

“Why put your baby at risk? Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are 100% preventable if mothers abstain from drinking during pregnancy. The Arc advocates not drinking during pregnancy, and will continue to push this message because studies like this ignore the fact that completely abstaining takes the risk of having a baby with a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder off the table,” said Peter V. Berns, CEO of The Arc.

As other opponents of the study highlighted, there are a number of factors that weren’t taken into consideration that warrant the public’s attention. These include the fact that some developmental delays are not detected as young as 5 years old, the differences in metabolism amongst women, and variances in genetic susceptibility.

The Arc advocates for and serves people with I/DD, including Down syndrome, autism, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, cerebral palsy and other diagnoses. The Arc has a network of over 700 chapters across the country promoting and protecting the human rights of people with I/DD and actively supporting their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes and without regard to diagnosis.

The Arc, together with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Center for Excellence, recruits and supports the Self-Advocates with FASD in Action (or SAFA) Network. SAFA was established a little over a year ago to build and support a network of people with FASDs and give them the platform to be self-advocates.

Victims with FASD Highlighted in Academic Journal

Posted on by

Journal of Psychiatry & Law

Many people don’t know about FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) or how common it is in the U.S. because it often goes undetected or is misdiagnosed. Similarly, most don’t realize that people with disabilities are more likely to be victims of crime compared to those without disabilities. A new, groundbreaking double issue of the Journal of Psychiatry and Law regarding people with FASD in the criminal justice system is bringing these two “underground” worlds of FASD and victimization together to be dissected and studied under one theoretical roof.

As The Arc’s Project and Information Specialist and an expert on these issues, I had the exciting opportunity to contribute to this issue! Speaking to experts in a wide array of victimization, disability and legal fields served to broaden my own perspective of how to best serve this population, and the co-authors I worked with had a similar experience. I am equally thrilled to be attending a press conference in Washington, D.C. on November 17 hosted by the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS) to announce the release of this unique special issue. After the press conference NOFAS is coordinating an “FASD & The Law” policy luncheon to prioritize policy recommendation in the justice arena and develop an action plan after which they will videotape interviews with professionals and experts on the topic. Those video interviews will be available soon on the NOFAS website and possibly distributed via The Arc.

Even though a high percentage of incarcerated juveniles and adults have symptoms of FASD, many lawyers, judges and mental health professionals don’t know much about it so it continues to go unrecognized. This special issue of Journal of Psychiatry and Law helps raise awareness of the serious needs of people with FASD, and gives advocates concrete information that helps them serve victims with an FASD more confidently and compassionately.

Training is a critical tool used to educate parents, self-advocates, victim assistance agencies, court personnel and others about serving crime victims with an FASD. As a follow up to the press conference, experts will offer a free training in the Washington, D.C. area to help practitioners know how to look for red flags that identify individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) who are involved in the court system.  It will address why they may have IQ’s above 70 but have low adaptive behavior skills and describe how courts should treat people who have cognitive and neuro-developmental needs, including the importance of knowing how to provide accommodations. If you are interested in learning more about the journal article, press conference or training, please contact me at ldavis@thearc.org.