One day is not enough. Like many of you, we recognize September as FASD Month and encourage all our followers to continue to work towards increased awareness of FASD throughout FASD Month and beyond.
Keep your Canada Day celebrations safe and healthy in 2020
Canada Day is just around the corner! With COVID-19 still a major health concern, the celebrations are going to be a little different this year. Here are some tips for how to keep your celebrations safe and healthy.
3 Indigenous-Led FASD and Women’s Health Initiatives in Canada
In honour National Indigenous History Month we wanted to highlight some of the many incredible Indigenous initiatives working in the areas of FASD and women’s health.
National Accessibility Week and FASD
There are a number of people, organizations, and initiatives across Canada that are working to break down barriers to accessibility and inclusion for individuals with FASD. Here’s some of the amazing stories that we’ve seen over the past year.
Mental Health for Individuals with FASD
When we talk about mental health for individuals with FASD, we often talk about the mental health issues people with FASD commonly experience. But it is important to remember that mental health more than mental illness.
Mental Health for Caregivers of Individuals with FASD
It is well documented that caregivers of children with disabilities experience increased levels of stress. But caregivers of children with FASD have been shown to experience higher levels of stress than most people. In a 2009 study, 92% of primary caregivers of individuals with FASD had clinically elevated stress levels. These number show that finding effective ways for caregivers to manage stress is especially important for this population.
FASD and Mental Health for Professionals
One in five Canadians experience challenges with mental health. This proportion is high, but the stats are even higher for individuals with FASD. Researchers have shown that approximately 90% of people with FASD experience mental health issues. These numbers show that mental health is an extremely important consideration when discussing needs, supports, and resources for individuals with FASD.
Mental Health and COVID-19
Our mental health is very fragile right now because of all the uncertainty and stress surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. We can protect our mental health by using healthy coping strategies when we start to feel negative emotions.
Mental Health Week and FASD
The goal of mental health week is to shift how we think about mental health and to promote behaviours that encourage good mental health. Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) have unique needs and challenges that – when not met – can impact their mental health, and that of their friends and families. When we talk about mental health, we need to ensure that the voices of all Canadians are included in this conversation.
Attend a Virtual Presentation from the 2020 Sterling Clarren Award Winner!
We’re excited to announce that the 2020 Sterling Clarren Award winner is John Aspler from McGill University! John is completing his doctoral thesis analyzing the discourse surrounding FASD, alcohol, and pregnancy in major Canadian print news sources.