Post Archive by Year

During the holiday season there are always lots of parties, festivities, family gatherings, and work functions. While this is often a fun and festive time of year, it can also be a time of excess, including alcohol use. This week, CanFASD Research Leads and staff have been visiting local news stations across the country to discuss supporting alcohol-free pregnancies during … Read More

Two papers led by CanFASD researchers were released last week. These papers are part of a special issue on FASD being put together by Advances in Dual Diagnosis. Written by two of our Research Leads, our Scientific Director, and our Research Associate, the first paper profiles our organization. CanFASD is a non-governmental organization that focuses on cross-disciplinary research, as well … Read More

Background Physical activity (PA) has shown to be beneficial for those with FASD. However, few studies have been done on PA in the FASD population, and PA programs targeting those with FASD are not common yet. This study talks about the physical activity program, FAST Club, for children with FASD, where they were paired with an adult to help them … Read More

Lindsay Wolfson, MPH Lindsay is a Research Coordinator at the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health and a consultant at the Canada FASD Research Network. She holds a Master of Public Health, Social Inequities and Health, from Simon Fraser University. Lindsay is responsible for research and collaboration on projects relating to the operationalization of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, fetal … Read More

Newspaper and other forms of media can have a significant influence on public perception, including society’s attitude towards people with disabilities, including FASD. This group is often discriminated against, and stigmatized, because of the way the media stereotypes and criticizes those with FASD, and mothers who drink while they’re pregnant. The authors of this article looked at common themes among … Read More

Background Pregnant women agree that health care professionals have great influence in providing advice for a safe and healthy pregnancy. Midwives play a significant role in advising pregnant women on the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and therefore must be knowledgeable and confident in order to appropriately deliver the abstinence message. This article aims to identify midwives’ knowledge, attitudes, … Read More

Intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) includes challenges in intellectual functioning (learning, problem solving) and/or everyday skills and social skills, beginning before the age of 18. IDDs can include Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, and other genetic conditions. It has been shown that roughly 50% of mothers with intellectual and developmental disabilities will lose custody of their child at birth or … Read More

The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) has a toolkit on their website to encourage moderate alcohol consumption: The Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines Communications Toolkit. The toolkit targets adults from 25-65, and includes drinking tips, graphics for social media platforms, fact sheets, and other resources that viewers are encouraged to share with their family and friends. Guidelines Some … Read More

The CanFASD Family Advisory Committee (FAC) has created and submitted a video for the CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health Talks competition. We encourage people to vote for our video by ‘liking’ the video on YouTube. The contest closes November 30th at 5 pm EST. The FAC has organized their wisdom into the four elements of the … Read More