Campaign
targets alcohol-caused defects
AWARENESS:
Arc
By
An
unprecedented public-awareness campaign against the leading cause of mental
retardation officially launches this month.
Arc
The
project began as an experiment in peer teaching in
"We
teach freshmen because they are sexually active and because they are the next
generation of parents," said
Making
the Pledge
The
local campaign has caught the eye of Arc's national headquarters. Arc, a
Baltimore-based organization, is devoted to promoting and improving services for
people with developmental disabilities.
"We
applaud the Arc of Riverside's imaginative campaign,"
Though
primarily targeted to teens in high school, the program has snowballed and been
ordered by middle schools, alternative schools that accommodate pregnant women,
and even elementary schools.
"We've
gotten schools from
Participants
are supposed to pledge that if they are or become pregnant, they won't drink
alcohol. And that if they drink, they won't get pregnant.
Preventable
Disorder
Approximately
one in 100 babies born has developmental damage associated with FASD, according
to the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
Fetal
alcohol spectrum disorder is a recently coined term that encompasses a range of
effects -- physical, behavioral, mental and/or learning disabilities --
associated with prenatal exposure to alcohol. It refers to fetal alcohol
syndrome -- characterized by growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities and
neurological damage -- along with fetal alcohol effects, alcohol-related
neurodevelopmental disorder and alcohol-related birth defects.
FASD
is one of the most prevalent developmental disorders, Stream said, but the
trouble is that it is usually called something else, such as attention deficit
disorder or even autism, the fastest-growing developmental disease.
FASD
is the leading, yet preventable, cause of mental disability in the nation, but
it goes largely undiagnosed.
"That's
what made it difficult for people to realize the depths of the problem,"
said
Carmona
recommended to err on the side of caution and that the mother-to-be should
abstain from alcohol. His recommendation runs counter to previous messages that
say some level of moderate drinking was permissible.
In
many situations, the alcohol-related damage occurs before the woman is even
aware that she is pregnant.
Problems
Studied
Carner,
whose 27-year-old foster son,
"For
many years, I had expectations that with proper motivation he could
change," Carner said. "It was quite a shock when I realized that he
wasn't going to change."
The
behavioral effects could include aggression, hyperactivity, poor coordination
and memory problems.
A
study by the
"I
keep dreaming for the day that something will bring this issue to the national
forefront," Carner said. "Over half of women that could become
pregnant at any moment are drinking, and 12.5 percent are drinking at rates that
have been known to cause damage."
Reach
Resources:
NineZero web site: http://ninezero.org
For
resources on support systems, services or diagnosis for fetal alcohol spectrum
disorder, visit:
directory/aspx
Arc