December is here and the holidays are just around the corner. For some this is an extremely enjoyable rest period involving lots of time with family and a short respite before the new year. For other individuals and families this time of year can be a stressful, anxiety-inducing experience.
Supporting Healthy Pregnancies this Holiday Season
There are many reasons people might choose not to drink this holiday season. People might be pregnant, recovering from addiction, abstaining for health reasons, are the designated driver, or could simply not want to. Refrain from questions like “why aren’t you drinking?” sentences like “just one can’t hurt”. Drawing attention to someone’s sobriety can lead to feelings of stigmatization and isolation.
Highlight on Canadian FASD Service Providers- NB Centre of Excellence
The New Brunswick (NB) Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Centre of Excellence is a bilingual, provincial, community-based model that incorporates a holistic, collaborative, client-centred, strength-based, women-centred, trauma informed approach to its health care services. The NB FASD Centre of Excellence takes great pride in providing a safe, kind, caring, and empathetic environment for all their clients and families. The Centre … Read More
#FeatureFriday – Stigma and the 2019 CCSA Conference
CanFASD had the opportunity to celebrate NAAW at the CCSA’s Issues of Substance Conference. This conference was a wonderful chance for our team to interact with other researchers, professionals, and service providers to gain a better understanding of the landscape of substance use in Canada. It also gave us the opportunity to share the knowledge and resources that our organization has collected and developed about FASD, alcohol, and pregnancy.
Giving Tuesday with CanFASD
Donations to our organization help us to expand the work that we do to improve services, policies, programming, and resources to address FASD in Canada. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of the amazing community members who have donated their time, money, and energy to our cause.
Respecting Rights Coordinator Sue Hutton shares her journey at ARCH Disability Law Centre
In delivering Rights training to staff and observing how the self-advocacy movement across Ontario looked like it could use a major facelift, I began to consult with Rights lawyers at ARCH Disability Law Centre to learn more about the legal rights of persons labeled with intellectual disabilities. It seemed as though the law was missing from the fabric of how rights work was being carried out across Ontario’s developmental services agencies. It wasn’t just one agency or another – it was the whole province from what I could gather through academic searches, literature reviews, and my own environmental scans.
Public Definition of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
In July 2019, CanFASD released a standard definition of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a diagnostic term used to describe impacts on the brain and body of individuals prenatally exposed to alcohol. FASD is a lifelong disability. Individuals with FASD will experience some degree of challenges in their daily living, and need support with … Read More
Highlight on Canadian Service Providers: Alberta- Lakeland Centre for FASD
The Lakeland Centre for FASD (LCFASD) is a not-for-profit organization that was established in 2000, with offices based in northeast Alberta. They are committed to providing continuous care for individuals affected by prenatal alcohol use. LCFASD focuses on three main areas: Identification & Diagnosis Members of the LCFASD team will travel to communities close to clients’ homes, to make diagnostic … Read More
Let’s Make FASD Part of the Conversation This Election
Federal election campaigns are currently underway in Canada and candidates across the nation are campaigning fiercely for your vote. There are many social, political, and environmental issues that are currently impacting Canada, as well as the rest of the world. Choosing the right candidate for you can be difficult, as attitudes towards these issues may differ across parties. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder … Read More
World Mental Health Day – A Focus on Suicide Prevention for Individuals with FASD
Please note this blog post deals with sensitive subject matter, such as mental illness and suicide. If you are experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts, or you just need to talk to someone, please contact Crisis Services Canada at 1-833-456-4566 or text CONNECT to Kid’s Help Phone at 686868. If you are in immediate danger, please call 9-1-1. October 6 to … Read More