Reducing alcohol-exposed pregnancies: a report of the National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect

"This report is a collaborative effort of the National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect (NTFFASFAE), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) FAS Prevention Team, National Center for Health Marketing Community Guide Branch, and Research Triangle Institute International (RTI). Evidence for this report began with a systematic search of the literature to identify community-level FASD interventions and policies that can prevent AEPs and reduce the prevalence of physical, mental, behavioral, and learning disabilities due to prenatal alcohol exposure. This evidence, along with the findings and recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force on behavioral counseling interventions for alcohol misuse, helped lay the groundwork for the information presented in this report. The report reviews the current evidence on prevention strategies to reduce alcohol use and AEPs, provides recommendations on promoting and improving these strategies, and offers future research directions in the field of FASD prevention. It also serves as a guide for those in the research and practice fields interested in selecting and implementing effective, scientifically tested interventions for women at risk for an AEP."Acknowledgements -- Executive summary -- Introduction -- Background and epidemiological overview -- Alcohol screening for women at risk -- Current evidence -- Universal prevention -- Selective and indicated prevention -- Future research directions -- Conclusions -- Acronyms -- Appendix A. Timeline of national efforts to prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancies -- Appendix B. Alcohol screening tools -- Appendix C. Efforts to support alcohol screening and brief intervention -- Referencesprepared by Kristen L. Barry ... [et al.]."March 2009."Also available via the World Wide Web as an Acrobat .pdf file (5.95 MB, 36 p.).Includes bibliographical references (p. 22-26).Barry KL, Caetano R, Chang G, DeJoseph MC, Miller LA, O'Connor MJ, Olson HC, Floyd RL, Weber MK, DeStefano F, Dolina S, Leeks K, National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect. Reducing alcohol-exposed pregnancies: A report of the National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; March 2009

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Implications for Educators

Fetal alcohol syndrome has been recognized as one of the most common causes of mental retardation and has also been indicated as a cause for a variety of other learning and developmental disabilities. This paper provides a discussion of definitions, historical precursors, and prevalence figures for fetal alcohol syndrome and highlights relevant medical and behavioral characteristics. The paper also addresses the educational implications of working with children with fetal alcohol syndrome in terms of instruction and curriculum

Public Health Rep

The authors performed surveillance for fetal alcohol syndrome with an existing birth defects registry. Fetal alcohol syndrome cases were identified from multiple sources using passive surveillance and from two selected medical sites using enhanced surveillance. Between May 1992 and March 1994, a total of 173 cases were identified, and the medical records of the cases were reviewed to determine whether the cases met a surveillance case definition for fetal alcohol syndrome. Of these cases, 37 (21 percent) met either definite (28) or probable (9) criteria for fetal alcohol syndrome, 76 met possible criteria (44 percent), and 60 (35 percent) were defined as not fetal alcohol syndrome. Enhanced surveillance had the highest sensitivity for definite or probable cases, 31 of 37 (84 percent), followed by hospital discharge data, 14 of 37 (38 percent). The authors also compared birth certificate information for 22 definite or probable cases in children born between 1989 and 1992 to birth certificate information for all Colorado births for that period. The proportion of mothers of children with fetal alcohol syndrome was statistically significantly greater (as determined by exact binomial 95 percent confidence limits) than the proportion of all mothers for the following characteristics: black race (0.23 versus 0.05), unmarried (0.55 versus 0.22), not employed during pregnancy (0.86 versus 0.43), and started prenatal care in the third trimester (0.18 versus 0.04). Surveillance for fetal alcohol syndrome can be accomplished with an existing registry system in combination with additional case finding and verification activities. Through followup investigation of reported cases, data can be gathered on the mothers of children with fetal alcohol syndrome. These data could be used to target fetal alcohol syndrome prevention programs.U50/CCU808552/PHS HHS/United StatesU59/CCU803364/PHS HHS/United States8570819PMCnul

Advancing essential services and research on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

"In 2004, the National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect, coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, established a working group committed to addressing the needs of individuals living with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) and their families. The culmination of this working group's discussions and Task Force deliberations is reflected in this Call to Action report. The document highlights ten recommendations to improve and expand efforts regarding early identification, diagnostic services, and quality research on interventions for individuals with FASDs and their families. Additional background information is provided to support these recommendations and to further educate readers on the topic of FASDs, progress to date, and what still needs to be done to support individuals with FASDs. The intent of this report is to guide federal, state and local agencies, researchers and clinicians, family support groups, and other partners on actions needed to advance essential services for individuals with FASDs and their families and to promote continued intervention research efforts." - p. iiAcknowledgements -- Introduction -- A Call to action-- Frequently asked questions -- Appendix A: Action Steps for Recommendations of the National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect -- Appendix B: Accomplishments of the National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect -- Appendix C: Overview of the Strategic Research Plan on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism -- Appendix D: Activities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Related to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders -- Appendix E: Overview of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's FASD Center for Excellence -- Appendix F: Information about the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome -- Referencesprepared by National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect Writing Group: Heather Carmichael Olson ... [et al.]"March 2009."Also available via the World Wide Web as an Acrobat .pdf file (3.77 MB, 28 p.).Includes bibliographical references (p. 15-19).Olson H.C., Ohlemiller M.M., O'Connor M.J., Brown C.W., Morris C.A., Damus K., National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect. A call to action: Advancing Essential Services and Research on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders--A report of the National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect, March 2009

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

The research concluded in this study investigates, evaluates, and recommends sources of these informational tools for the Special Education teacher. By using this study as a guide, teachers will have a concise outline of practical and factual information for programming of the F.A.S. child

Sustained attention deficits in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder:

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a non-diagnostic term that covers a range of related birth defects resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure. Under this umbrella term, are several diganostic categories such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (pFAS), Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND), and Alcohol Related Birth Defects (ARBD). Compared to control children, children with FASD will display cognitive impairment in executive functioning as evidenced by results on a test of sustained attention