September 27, 2005 for immediate release

FetalAlcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is among the most common developmentaldisabilities of our times. It is caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol inutero and is a leading cause of birth defects and mental handicaps. Theavailable data on FASD focuses largely on the challenges faced by childrenaffected with FASD, and the challenges of parenting children with FASD. In thethirty years since FASD was first recognized, an entire generation ofindividuals has reached adulthood. Despite the fact that one-million Canadiansover the age of 15 may have FASD, the amount of information about adolescentsand adults who are affected by FASD remains a mere trickle.

FetalAlcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is among the most common developmentaldisabilities of our times. It is caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol inutero and is a leading cause of birth defects and mental handicaps. Theavailable data on FASD focuses largely on the challenges faced by childrenaffected with FASD, and the challenges of parenting children with FASD. In thethirty years since FASD was first recognized, an entire generation ofindividuals has reached adulthood. Despite the fact that one-million Canadiansover the age of 15 may have FASD, the amount of information about adolescentsand adults who are affected by FASD remains a mere trickle.

UNBC graduate student Velma Abraham has beenworking to change this. In particular, she has been studying the perspectivesof adults with FASD who go on to become parents themselves. Service providersand parents were interviewed in Prince George to explore the needs of adults who face thedual challenge of parenting and living with FASD.

“Theresults of the study indicate that parents with FASD requireappropriate support andservice in a number of areas such as transportation, child care, socialbenefits, and adequate housing,” says Ms Abraham. “There is a pressingneed todevelop these programs. Currently, most programs are not specificallydevelopedto meet the needs of parents with FASD; doing so would require thatservices beindividually oriented, ongoing and long-term, proactive, andempowering. Parents with FASD face barriers to service delivery in partbecause there is a lack oftrained service providers and inadequate funding. It’s just so easy forthem tofall between the cracks.”

People with FASD have limited cognitive skills, areless likely to participate in the labour force, are more likely to bethevictims of violence, and are vulnerable to cycle between prisons orinstitutions – or at least to live in substandard conditions. AlthoughFASD wasfirst diagnosed in the late 1960s, it remains difficult to accuratelydiagnose adults who suffer from the disorder and therefore provideaccess to appropriateservices.

Theresearch was initiated by the Parenting Services division of NorthernHealthand undertaken by Ms Abraham for her master’s degree in Psychology,which wascompleted under the supervision of professor Cindy Hardy. Ms Abraham isacitizen of the Commonwealth of Dominica, a small country of 87,000people in the West Indies. She came to UNBC after completing abachelor’s degree from Malaspina University Collegein Nanaimo and received a bursary from the Centre for Addictions Research of BC to conduct her research..

Contact:

Cindy Hardy, Psychology professor, UNBC - 250.960.5814

or Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC - 250.960.5622