By Eliane Wanner-Van Osch
FASD: What it is and what services are available in 100 Mile House?
FASD stands for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. When alcohol is consumed during pregnancy, it causes damage to the central nervous system of a developing fetus.
There is no known amount of alcohol that is safe to drink while pregnant. There is also no safe time to drink during pregnancy and no safe kind of alcohol to drink while pregnant.
Alcohol causes brain damage in more than one in 100 individuals. This is more than 350,000 people in Canada. It is estimated that 10 to 20 infants are born daily with FASD.
FASD is an umbrella term used to describe the range of disabilities caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol.
A person with an FASD might have: difficulty paying attention, hyperactive behaviour, poor memory, difficulty in school (especially with math), learning disabilities, speech and language delays, intellectual disability or low IQ, poor reasoning and judgment skills, sleep and sucking problems as a baby, vision or hearing problems, problems with the heart, kidneys, or bones, and in some cases, abnormal facial features, such as a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip (this ridge is called the philtrum), small head size, shorter-than-average height, low body weight and poor co-ordination.
Children who were exposed to alcohol prenatally have difficulty understanding how their actions affect outcomes. Many do not learn from past experience.
This makes their behaviour unpredictable and can also make them vulnerable to high risk behaviours and situations. Research has shown a significant number of individuals in the criminal justice system have been prenatally exposed to alcohol.
There is no cure for FASD and the effects of alcohol last a lifetime. It is lifelong disability. A child with FASD grows up to be an adult with FASD.
Individuals with FASD may require extensive support and services related to health, mental health, social services, education and training, justice, addictions and family supports throughout their lives.
To prevent FASDs, a woman should not drink alcohol while she is pregnant, or even when she might get pregnant, as a woman could get pregnant and not know for several weeks or more.
The Cariboo Family Enrichment Centre (CFEC) in 100 Mile House offers an FASD key worker program that is free of charge. It is proven that children with FASD do best when their individual strengths are recognized and built upon in a supportive environment adapted to meet their needs.
Some families have found it helpful to get an assessment offered by the Interior Health Authority’s Children’s Assessment Network for their child. The CFEC’s key worker assists families with the assessment process and helps families understand FASD by providing education and information specific to the needs of the child and family.
The key worker is familiar with community resources, assists families in accessing support, health and education services and is involved in the development of local support services. The key worker also provides emotional and practical support to families.
The CFEC also offers a support group for biological parents, foster parents and adoptive parents of children with an FASD.
If you feel your child struggles with any of the challenges mentioned earlier, please contact the CFEC at 250-395-5155 for more information.
Eliane Wanner-Van Osch, M.Sc. is the CDBC/FASD key worker for the CFEC.