ADVOCACY
The FASD RESPECT ACT
What does the FASD Respect Act do?
The “FASD Respect Act”, authorizes $118 million for FASD prevention efforts, screening, identification, research, and FASD-informed services by federal, state, local, tribal and private stakeholders. Most importantly, the bill creates a structure for the development of well-informed public policy on FASD and provides for a clear, ongoing societal commitment to advancing research and ensuring essential services for persons with FASD and their caregivers. The bill reauthorizes and strengthens existing federal FASD programs, including the Interagency Coordinating Committee on FASD, replaces the defunct National FAS Taskforce with a National Advisory Council on FASD and establishes a FASD Center of Excellence as the go-to entity for state, tribal and local governments and non-governmental stakeholders seeking to develop new or improve existing best practices for FASD prevention, diagnosis, and intervention programs and services.
Why do We Need the FASD Respect Act?
Harm to America’s children from prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is a significant public health problem and the most commonly known cause of developmental disabilities in the United States. Recent research shows an alarming prevalence of up to 1 in 20 first graders in the United States having the resulting disability of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). PAE is especially harmful to the developing brain impacting all facets of a child’s life. Research also shows that alcohol causes far greater harm to the developing brain than any other drug combined, yet recognition of the disability — with appropriate supports and services — can prevent secondary disabilities (e.g., dropping out of school, getting into trouble with the law, alcohol and drug use, etc.).
Alarming gaps in FASD-related diagnostic and clinical resources are common throughout the United States. Among medical and behavioral health professionals, inconsistent use or limited knowledge of diagnostic criteria and clinical guidelines result in many (if not most) children and adults living with FASD going undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Families in every state, and especially in the child welfare system, struggle with FASD, and they cannot find systems of care that are familiar with or are equipped to diagnose and address FASD-related disabilities.
Federal funding for FASD prevention and intervention has declined from $27 million as authorized in the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention Act of 1998 to just over $12 million in FY2021. Also, existing FASD efforts are hindered by fragmented federal, state and local policy approaches and a lack of resources specifically dedicated to FASD prevention and intervention. Although many states and local communities have programs and policies to help support FASD prevention, FASD-informed intervention practices and services are limited in most systems of care around the country, and the United States itself lacks a national agenda to unite government efforts towards a common goal.
To learn more about this bill and how to contact your Senators and Reps in the U.S. House, go to: NOFAS Policy And Training Center
FASD AWARENESS
City of Chicago Proclamation
State of Illinois Proclamation
State of Illinois Proclamation
Chicago's Mayor Lightfoot gives a proclamation commemorating September as FASD Awareness Month in Chicago.
State of Illinois Proclamation
State of Illinois Proclamation
State of Illinois Proclamation
JB Pritzker proclaims September 9th as FASD Awareness Day and September as FASD Awareness Month in Illinois.
Statement
ALCOHOL & PREGNANCY DON'T MIX
September 1, 2021: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOFAS Illinois Affiliate, The Center for Neurobehavioral Guidance, is joining the cause to increase awareness of the risks of drinking alcohol while pregnant. The U.S. Surgeon General advises pregnant women and women who are considering becoming pregnant to abstain from alcohol consumption to eliminate alcohol-exposed pregnancies,1 yet an estimated 40,000 babies are born each year with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs). FASD is an umbrella term describing the range of effects that can occur in an individual who was exposed to alcohol before birth.
During pregnancy, a developing baby is exposed to the same concentration of alcohol as the pregnant woman. No amount of alcohol use is known to be safe for a developing baby before birth. Exposure to alcohol from any type, including beer and wine, is unsafe for developing babies. Alcohol exposure is unsafe at every stage of pregnancy. FASDs are preventable.
FASDs can impact a child’s physical, mental, behavioral, or cognitive development. The most visible condition along the continuum of FASDs, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), is characterized by growth deficiencies, central nervous system disabilities, and specific facial characteristics. The majority of individuals impacted by FASDs have no physical signs of prenatal alcohol exposure but can struggle with developmental delays, memory problems, poor judgment, impulsivity, executive functioning, modulating emotions, social competencies, sensory difficulties, and adaptive functioning. The number of children born with FAS alone is comparable to spina bifida or Down syndrome.3 Studies show that up to 1 in 20 U.S. school children may be on the FASD spectrum, a rate that is comparable to autism.
Prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, prematurity, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), as well as a range of lifelong physical, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities.
To prevent FASDs, plan for a healthy baby--avoid any alcohol if you are pregnant or may be pregnant. A woman often does not know she is pregnant for up to 4 to 6 weeks, and over 50% of pregnancies are unplanned; if you become pregnant, stop drinking alcohol. Brain growth occurs throughout pregnancy; the sooner a woman stops drinking, the safer it will be for her and her baby. Avoiding alcohol is not easy for everyone. Those concerned about alcohol use or who need support to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy ask your health care provider for resources in your community or contact a recovery program such as Alcoholics Anonymous to learn about treatment options.
Human service organizations, health care professionals, educators, and the public are called to action to work together to reduce the occurrence of FASDs by increasing awareness, becoming educated, and disseminating the message that women that are pregnant or might be pregnant should abstain from alcohol.
For more information on alcohol use during pregnancy and FASDs, visit www.nofas.org or www.cdc.gov/fasd.
The Center for Neurobehavioral Guidance | FASD United Illinois
Centerforneurobehavioralguidance.org
Facebook: @illinoisfasdcenter
Contact: Janessa Nikols jnikols@centerforneurobehavioralguidance.org
