ADDING MEDICATION TO FASD TREATMENT PLANS
Recent research from CanFASD, the national Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) research network in Canada, has developed guidelines for clinicians to follow when prescribing medications to people with FASD (Mela et al., 2020). An expert panel, guided by previous research, developed an algorithm which aims to streamline medication prescription and prevent the negative effects of […]
PLANNING AN ALCOHOL-FREE PREGNANCY
Keeping alcohol out of pregnancy should be easy, right? Unfortunately, insufficient information and incorrect myths result in an alarming number of Australian pregnancies being exposed to alcohol every year. With approximately 50% of women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, many babies are prenatally exposed to alcohol before their parents know that they are pregnant. A 2016 […]
AUSTRALIAN FOUNDATIONS IN FASD COURSE
The Australian Foundations in FASD Course This International FASD Awareness Day we are excited to announce the launch of the Australian Foundations in FASD Online Course! NOFASD, in partnership with CanFASD, are proud to launch the Australian Foundations in FASD online learning opportunity. This course is an evidence-based, interactive online learning resource consisting of 7 […]
EXPERT PREGNANCY HEALTH WARNINGS FINALLY BREAK THROUGH ALCOHOL INDUSTRY’S BLOCKADE
17 February 2020: After eight years of obstruction by the alcohol industry, mandatory pregnancy health warnings on all alcoholic products have been submitted for final approval. The National Organisation for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (NOFASD) and the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) strongly support the FSANZ proposal on pregnancy warning labels submitted to […]
BUCKLE YOUR SEATBELT FOR FASD
September 9th has been globally acknowledged as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Day since Bonnie Buxton Brian Philcox and Teresa Kellerman first dreamed of this event more than twenty years ago. The ninth day of the ninth month has been chosen to represent the nine months of pregnancy. Over time the FASD Day theme […]
CORONER’S INQUEST
The following is an overview of the findings on 13 tragic deaths of young people in Western Australia. The contents may be distressing to some readers. A 373 page report detailing the Inquest into the deaths of thirteen children and young people in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia was delivered in February 2019, following […]
DIGITAL PASSES – FASD WEB SERIES FOR PARENTS AND PROFESSIONALS
*UPDATE: NOFASD Australia was able to negotiate 20 scholarships enabling parents and carers to access this web series for free. NOFASD’s digital passes were provided to foster, adoptive and birth parents of children, youth and adults living with FASD. These parents said they are hoping to gain increased understanding of their children’s experiences, a deeper […]
FREE FASD TRAINING COURSE
NOFASD Australia, with permission from CanFASD, have now launched the Australian Foundations in FASD online course. This course is an evidence-based, interactive online learning resource, consisting of 7 individual modules. The modules take around 20 minutes each and a downloadable certificate of completion is provided. This course was developed using the CanFASD model, but diagnostic […]
ALCOHOL AND PREGNANCY
Many people ask what is a safe amount to drink when pregnant? The answer is that the only way to guarantee that a child will not be born with FASD is to completely abstain from alcohol throughout a pregnancy. The Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol state very clearly that a mother’s alcohol […]
PUBLIC LECTURE – DISPELLING FASD MYTHS
In July this year the Australian Psychological Society (APS) hosted a public lecture presented by Clinical Neuropsychologist Associate Professor Carmela Pestell. She addressed the top 20 myths related to FASD, with the main themes being prevalent diagnostic issues, information about drinking guidelines, why drinking is particularly harmful to the developing fetus, how we diagnose FASD, […]
INTERNATIONAL FASD AWARENESS DAY!
At NOFASD, across Australia, and around the world people are taking a minute to pause and reflect on the struggles which individuals and families face when they are living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). At 9:09 on the 9th day of the 9th month we come together to raise awareness about the risks of alcohol and […]
FASD PREVALENCE RESEARCH
New research in Canada on the prevalence of FASD shows alarmingly high rates of the disability in the general population. Flannigan, Unsworth, and Harding (2018) write that “based on evidence in two recent studies … our current best estimate for the prevalence of FASD in the general Canadian population is 4%”. There has been limited […]
