Rubber Bracelets Decorated with the Slogan “zero 4 nine – prevent FASD.”

Thursday, September 08, 2005 13:51
Even women who drink casually could have babies with FASD
BY HEIDI ULRICHSEN
heidi@northernlife.ca

When it comes to consuming alcoholic drinks while pregnant, it’s better to be safe than sorry, says the chair of the local Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Network.

Laura Whalen suggests pregnant women or those who are trying to become pregnant avoid drinking alcohol altogether. (About 50 percent of pregnancies are not planned.)

Otherwise, their babies might end up with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), which is a type of brain damage, she says.

While some FASD babies have facial deformities, most seem normal until a variety of learning disabilities and behavioural problems show up when they’re toddlers, says Whalen, who is also a parent resource worker at the Our Children, Our Future daycare and drop-in centre.

Our Children, Our Future gives funding to the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Network.

“Many times, the babies are born, and they look pretty healthy. They may be difficult babies, but that could be from all kinds of causes,” says Whelan.
“As the child develops, typically they would have some learning disabilities. They have a really hard time connecting a consequence to a behaviour, so they actually think differently.”

Children with FASD often get in trouble at school and have run-ins with the law because they don’t know any better.

Some experts estimate that 80 percent of those in jail have FASD.

To spread awareness of the disorder, the FASD network and Whelan’s colleagues at Our Children, Our Future are hosting a “mocktail” party today (Friday) at the Market Square in celebration of FASD Awareness Day.

Starting at 11:30 am, volunteers will serve non-alcoholic pina coladas and iced tea, and hand out rubber bracelets decorated with the slogan “zero 4 nine – prevent FASD.”

A local native drumming group will also perform.

“The event will spread awareness of FASD. This year we are distributing the bracelets. Every time somebody is wearing one and gets asked about it, they are spreading the word many, many fold,” she says.

It’s important to get the word about FASD out there, because the disorder is underdiagnosed, and not enough people know about it, says Whelan.

About one percent of the population is diagnosed with FASD, but she estimates the real number is much higher.

Whelan has seen a few children with FASD while working at Our Children, Our Future.

“We don’t have programs that are specifically for children that are affected by alcohol. We are much more universal, but we work a lot with high-risk families, and many of them are in crisis and maybe battling addictions,” she says.

“We probably work with more of them (children with FASD) than we know we do.”

For more information about the event or the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Network, phone Our Children, Our Future at 677-0440.