The curse of fetal alcohol syndrome is an unfolding crisis.
Editorial Jul 11, 2005. pg. A.6
Changing the culture of social drinking is best way to keep women from risking the health of their babies If things go as usual in British Columbia today, 110 newborns will join us, about the same number as were born yesterday and as will be born tomorrow. Each of these future citizens -- usually around 40,000 each year -- represents a bundle of hopes, not just for parents, but for society at large.
Yet, if present estimates hold true, each day one of those babies -- about 400 per year -- will be born not to hope but condemned to struggle, suffering and unfulfilled potential. That child will begin life already saddled with the heavy burden of physical defects and disabilities that result from excessive exposure to alcohol while still in the womb.
Such defects include facial and cranial deformities, retarded growth, structural abnormalities in the brain itself and malformations of the heart, kidneys, bones, vision and hearing systems.
The consequence of these physical changes can be profound. Among them are impairment of fine motor skills, hearing loss, ability to coordinate gait and hand-eye functions. From these deficits cascade a host of others. Learning is difficult and school performance suffers, frequently resulting in marginalization during the most sensitive formative years. The afflicted often show poor impulse control and problems in social perception that can lead to further marginalization. Subsequent learning difficulties involve poor capacity for abstract thought, which limits development of mathematical and language skills, all compounded by problems with memory, attention span and poor judgment.
In an educational system so driven by examinations and the demand for high grades as a measure of success, those who fall behind tend to be left behind -- and many of those left behind will be the children most deserving of our compassion and concern.
It's estimated that there are as many 300,000 people across Canada trying to cope with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, the loose collection of deficits that is strongly associated with educational under-achievement, alcohol and drug abuse, unemployment, poverty, homelessness, impulse-related crime and mental health issues. And there is now deeply troubling evidence emerging that the problem may be much larger than previously thought.
Researchers at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children have devised a test that analyses a newborn's first bowel movement. It determines the presence of a metabolite of alcohol that shows up if the mother was drinking heavily during the last six months of her pregnancy. Using the test, medical scientists surveyed an Ontario county that provided a cross-section of urban, small town and rural mothers. To their dismay, the sampling suggests that the number of babies being born with some form of fetal alcohol syndrome may really be three times greater than the previously estimated one in 100 live births. That would mean more than 900,000 people are at risk across Canada and as many as 1,200 newborns a year at risk in B.C.
If the data prove accurate, it means B.C. will have to cope with a growing population of physically, mentally and emotionally impaired young people at the rate of 12,000 -- that's a new small town -- every decade.
Those who don't sit up and take notice of this troubling finding should give their heads a good shake. That includes politicians who set policy, administrators of social programs, front-line social workers, educators, law enforcement agencies and taxpayers who will ultimately foot the bill one way or another.
Studies indicate that the cost of dealing with the present youth victims of FASD runs to almost $350 million a year across Canada. And that's probably a conservative estimate. A quick scan of recent headlines shows a fetal alcohol syndrome victim with severe intellectual deficits was responsible for $1.7 million in property damage during a five-day arson spree in Winnipeg. Another Alberta youth suffering from the brain damage associated with fetal alcohol syndrome was recently convicted of first-degree murder in the bludgeoning death of his counsellor. The youth was 14 at the time. Court was told the boy was unable to control his impulses.
Not all people afflicted with FASD behave in this way, of course, and it's well documented in the literature that early intervention and strong support programs can substantially reduce potential risks to society while vastly improving the quality of life for the young people who must learn to cope with personal problems that were never of their own making.
This is why it is so important for all of us to keep our eyes on the ball. The cheapest solution is prevention. So it's incumbent upon all of us, not just government, to help educate mothers about the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. One way to do that is to become pro-active in helping to change the culture of social drinking.
Not drinking alcohol where pregnant women are present is one simple step that everyone can take. Insist that there are attractive non-alcoholic drinks available at parties where pregnant women are present. Hold social gatherings that include pregnant women in places that don't serve alcoholic beverages -- coffee houses or at home rather than the local pub or lounge. Make it known in a non- pejorative way that you strongly disapprove of pregnant women drinking alcohol and that you disapprove even more of those who make alcohol available to pregnant women who might display an inclination to drink.
Next comes our duty as citizens and taxpayers to hold our political leaders accountable for ensuring: that aggressive prevention programs and supports for pregnant women are in place; that adequate identification of children at risk and vigorous early intervention programs are functioning and well-funded; that educational programs that address these children's special needs and which work to socialize them instead of permitting their marginalization are fully supported both financially and with sufficient trained professionals.
The consequences of fetal alcohol syndrome last a lifetime -- indeed, many lifetimes. It is now among the leading causes of mental disability in Canada. It is also the most preventable.
Every child saved from this curse transforms a burden of cares into a future of hope and limitless possibilities. That alone is sufficient reason for every member of the community to press for whatever multi-faceted long-term programs are necessary to address this slowly unfolding crisis. And then to ensure that our political leaders sustain them.