The Blog

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is hosting a workshop using Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), for female caregivers of individuals with FASD, at the Toronto Western Hospital at the end of May. Read more about ACT and details of the workshop below: Find the PDF version here

John Mogan of Ohio, USA, lives with developmental disabilities and mental illness, and has needed around the clock care for many years. Since the creation of software company ‘Medforall’, this in-person care has been cut in half. Medforall was created by computer scientist/engineer Ali Rahimi, after he realized the frustrations and limitations faced by those with disabilities. He believed that … Read More

As a Caregiver, I am very aware of the importance of taking care of oneself and connecting with others experiencing the same challenges. For me, the personal connections I make are just as important as any information or education. My first observation, though, was the result of self-reflection. After spending 2 days in workshops where I had to really think … Read More

I had the great fortune to attend 3 days of the International FASD Conference, Vancouver at the beginning of March thanks to the generous sponsorship of CanFASD.  With this support, I was blessed to learn what’s happening around the world with regards to FASD and feeling connected to a greater community. First, being with the 800+ researchers, clinicians, service providers, … Read More

Children with FASD are very social; they tend to seek out social interaction with others and start conversations. However, once engaged in a conversation, they struggle with understanding social cues and facial expressions. This study examined the deficits in social cognition among children ages 8-12 with FASD. In particular, this study identified how recognizing facial expressions and showing empathy can … Read More

Prepared by John Aspler, at the IRCM’s Pragmatic Health Ethics Research Unit and McGill University’s Integrated Program in Neuroscience John graduated with a BSc in Neuroscience from McGill University in 2012, where exposure to a stream of problematic neuroscience-related news publications both cultivated and cemented in him an interest in improving science communication. John is currently pursuing a PhD at … Read More

Eric Harding is a graduate student in the History Department at Laurentian University. He is also an Academic Writing Coach and a Research Assistant contributing to several projects on FASD and FASD prevention. There are a variety of reasons why women may drink while pregnant. Misinformation or a lack of access to information, as well as the cultural norms of … Read More

There are a number of reasons people may use alcohol in excess, including previous trauma, genetic susceptibility to alcohol use disorder, or to alleviate psychological distress. We often criticize people in the public eye (i.e. celebrities) for their alcohol use, and women tend to be scrutinized to a greater extent. The voices of celebrities are a very powerful influence on … Read More

Chelsea Pike is a Master’s in Science Communication student at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario. Previously, she completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Ottawa in the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences program with a minor in biology and her Bachelor of Education at Queen’s University. Her research is focused on describing attitudes of Canadians towards FASD as identified in the … Read More

CanFASD Connect is introducing ‘Media Week’ this week, from April 15-19. We will be posting daily on a new topic surrounding the influence of media on the perception of FASD, including guest posts from individuals who are well versed in the field of FASD. Topics covered this week will include celebrities who have publicly spoken about refraining from alcohol use, … Read More