Leading experts on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder say the condition is under-reported, highly stigmatized and misunderstood.
They are trying to change that by sharing research during a national conference being staged at the Saskatchewan legislative building this week.
A 10-year-old boy with FASD bludgeoned to death a six-year-old boy on a Saskatchewan First Nation two years ago.
These are the kind of cases we hear about it. But according to Dr. Michelle Steward, the lead researcher for FASD on justice issues, this type of violent behavior is not the norm.
“FASD is not representative of people who are inherently violent,” she says. “What we have had recently is a couple of very tragic cases where people have fallen through the system and haven’t had the support they needed at strategic times.”
The disorder is caused by women drinking during pregnancy. It affects the brain development of the fetus. The results are permanent, often resulting in learning difficulties, lack of impulse control, and in some cases, anti-social and violent behavior. The executive director of the Canadian Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder research network, Dr. Amy Salmon, says it is a far bigger problem than most people realize but it is not hopeless.
“FASD is often misunderstood, not only as a highly stigmatized condition, but also as a condition that is hopeless,” she says. “The understanding is that although pre-natal alcohol exposure does result in permanent injury to the developing brain, this is by no means a hopeless condition.”
Dr. Salmon says more testing, more research and more support for both mothers and children who are affected must remain a high priority for Canadians. She says it is estimated there are about 760,000 people in Canada living with the disorder. Salmon says it is believed the disorder affects about five per cent of babies, much higher than earlier estimates of one per cent. She attributes the higher number to more testing, more research and a greater understanding of the condition.