On 9 September 2019, International FASD Awareness Day, an inquiry was referred to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee into effective approaches to prevention and diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and strategies for optimising life outcomes for people with FASD.
Individuals, organisations, and institutions across Australia made submissions which explored the breadth of the impact of FASD on Australian communities. NOFASD Australia reviewed all submissions and extracted a series of quotes which define themes that arose across the submissions.
In today’s blog, we explore the theme of interventions for FASD.
- FASD intervention includes supporting women to plan and maintain alcohol-free pregnancies, developing personalised strategies to improve the daily life of people with FASD, and supporting carers to successfully implement interventions;
- Every person with FASD is different and needs personalised support and intervention;
- Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Neuropsychologists, and Physiotherapists are the clinicians most closely involved in developing intervention strategies after making a diagnosis of FASD;
- Early intervention using evidence-based practice has the best outcomes, but these interventions require more research;
- Raising a young person with FASD can be isolating. You are not alone. Please call NOFASD’s hotline on 1800 860 613 if you wish to talk to someone about your experience and receive support; and
- You can access free online Management strategy toolkits here.
The final report from the Senate inquiry was released on 17th March 2021.
Stay tuned to the NOAFSD blogs for a summary of the findings.
