Many things we need can wait, the child cannot.
Now is the time his bones are formed, his mind developed.
To him we cannot say tomorrow, his name is today.
-Gabriela Mistral
Moms At Risk
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Think about this! Among the 2 million adults in the U.S. with suspected FAS disorders, the combination of the primary brain dysfunction
(poor judgment, lack of impulse control) and the secondary disability of
alcoholism results in another risk that is not always recognized, that these
individuals are very likely to have unprotected sex that results in
pregnancy, and another generation of babies are at risk of damage from
prenatal alcohol exposure.
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What about Dads?
Like Father, Like Son
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"I would allege to you that the ultimate pollution is pollution that affects the cognitive ability of future generations."
- David O. Carpenter, MD, Dean, School of Public health, State University at Albany
How many? Too many! How does the incidence of FAS compare to other birth defects?
United States ~ Arizona ~ Tucson ~ Canada
~ UK
This is the statement from the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: The latest estimate for the U.S. is a rate of 19.5 per 10,000 live births, although estimates run as high as 30 per 10,000 - about 12,000 babies a year. (Substance Abuse and the American Woman, Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, Columbia University, June 5, 1996)
For FAS and ARND (Alcohol Related Neuredevelopmental Disorders) combined, the rate is approximately one in every 100 live births. [Teratology 1997 Nov;56(5):317-26]
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What is the incidence and cost of FAS where you live? Calculate it here!
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"The consequences of prenatal abuse are likely underreported. Hospitals
report some 2,700 cases annually of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. But because
signs of this disease - physical deformities, stunted growth, behavioral
abnormalities and mental retardation - are often not apparent at birth, many
experts place the number of FAS babies at 12,000 a year." (National
Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.)
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"Unlike many birth defects which are identified at birth and often treated surgically, FAS and FAE are usually over-looked at birth and treated later by mental health specialists - often unknowingly." -Ann Streissguth, PhD
"Statistics on FAS/E only reflect the more extreme end of the spectrum. Most of the damage goes undiagnosed, but not unpunished."
-Bruce Ritchie, Fetal Alcohol Support Network
Read True Incidence of FAS Disorders.
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Surveillance Studies
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that the incidence of FAS is only 1 per 4,000 births. Most accepted studies indicate that the incidence of FAS is more than 5 times higher than the CDC surveillance study indicates, and that the incidence of all FAS related disorders is about 1 per 100. The article "FAS Surveillance: The Numbers Game" offers an explanation of why the CDC numbers are so low. The CDC surveillance study is very important and valuable, it just needs to be interpreted correctly.
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The Plant Lady
A very short story
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Uncle Billy
A story of hope
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School of Hope
******* FEN Conference 2000: Photos and Notes *******
*** FAS Arizona Conference 2001: Report with Photos ***
Surgeon General: "Risk factors for developing a mental disorder or experiencing problems in social-emotional development include prenatal damage from exposure to alcohol, illegal drugs, and tobacco." -U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General Executive Summary. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, 1999.
Surgeon General Advisory on Alcohol Use in Pregnancy
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A L C O H O L L I N K S
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Alcoholics Anonymous
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BAC = Blood Alcohol Content. Do you know your limit?
Take the Healthy Drinker survey now!
"Alcohol and tobacco kill more than 50 times the number of people killed by cocaine, heroin, and every other illegal drug combined. Ten million Americans are addicted to alcohol. It is a drug." -Amer. Academy of Pediatrics
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Alcohol Advertising Alert!!! Alcohol News List
NEW! 2008 Legislative Alert: FASD Bill S2141 Needs U.S. Support NEW!
Arizona HR 2242 to look at changing eligibility criteria for DD services!
Daschle AmendmentReport to Congress
See your tax dollars at work! Read reports and minutes of meetings for the
National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects Read minutes of meetings and recommendations!
ARE YOU CONCERNED?
"One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors" -Plato
Learn how to participate effectively through Partners In Policymaking
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