BarrieToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected]. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is from Barrie resident Faye Humphries, who has been studying fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. September is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Month.
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Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a lifelong disability that affects the brain and body of individuals who were exposed to alcohol during fetal development.
People with FASD have both strengths and challenges in their daily lives. Therefore, they must be equipped with the proper support systems to ensure they succeed.
Before finding Canada’s only national network dedicated to FASD, my knowledge of FASD was very minimal. Sure, I knew that women should refrain from consuming alcohol during pregnancy, but I didn’t really understand what the consequences were and I didn’t know the broad range of challenges and successes that people with FASD experience.
Over the past year or so, I’ve learned a lot about FASD. The more I learn about this disability, the more I find the absence of national support for individuals with FASD, parents, caregivers, community members, and pregnant and parenting couples of increasing concern.
FASD is the most common known cause of developmental disability, but there is relatively little public recognition or understanding about the disability. What’s more, there is very limited support for people with FASD and their families. This needs to change.
There are only 70 FASD diagnostic clinics for all of Canada. Some provinces don’t even have one. Rates of mental health challenges, suicidality and housing instability are extraordinarily high in this population. Stigma and misinformation surrounding this disability impacts access to appropriate services and supports, not just for those with FASD but their families and women who are pregnant and parenting as well.
FASD prevention initiatives are commonly focused on raising awareness of the risks of alcohol use during pregnancy. But pregnant and/or parenting couples need adequate access to health and social services that promote their health and well-being in order to actually reduce alcohol use in pregnancy.
Our federal government must take the lead on FASD. Canada needs a national FASD strategy. We need policies that help practitioners consistently and effectively identify those with FASD and provide evidence-based supports across the lifespan for this vulnerable population and their families. We need policies that promote the health and well-being of families and communities to prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancies. We need a co-ordinated approach to address FASD at a national level.
September is FASD Awareness Month. This is a great opportunity for community members to raise their voices for FASD in Canada. I highly encourage everyone to take part in activities and events happening in your community this year. If you are unable to attend local events, you can help raise awareness by learning more about FASD, sharing information with others, and advocating for national support for FASD. Help raise awareness in hopes of a broader community knowledge around the disability.
Faye Humphries
Barrie
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