NOTES FROM NOFAS
The National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
900 17th Street, NW
Suite 910
Washington, DC 20006
September, 2006
For more information about NOFAS and alcohol and pregnancy please visit our Website at http://www.nofas.org/.
You can make an on-line tax-deductible donation in support of NOFAS programs to prevent FAS and support families touched by the disorder. Visit the NOFAS eStore and contribute today using our secure server.
TOP STORIES
NOFAS to Sponsor an Audio Conference on FASD
NOFAS will be hosting a special audio conference on FASD through the CityMatCH E-MCH teleconference series on September 21 from 3:00–4:30 PM (EST).
NOFAS Spreads the FASD Message to the Illinois Department of Corrections
NOFAS VP Kathy Mitchell recently spoke to incarcerated women at the Decatur Correctional Center and to addiction treatment staff from the Illinois Department of Corrections. Incarcerated women, and the staff that work with them, are an important audience for FASD education.
NOFAS participates in the 4th Annual FASD Summer Camp
In 2002 Julie Gelo, President of NOFAS Washington and a parent of several children with FASD, thought about organizing a camp for individuals with FASD. She and several dedicated volunteers made this a reality and this summer over 50 children of all ages and their parents attended the fourth FASD Summer Camp.
NOFAS is Pleased to Announce New Materials
The long awaited Public Awareness Guide is now complete. A complete how-to guide for raising awareness on FASD and advocating for those affected by it. New public awareness posters, fetal development poster, and standard drink poster (see below) also available.
NOFAS and FASD Included on the Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology Website
The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology® at Hackensack University Medical Center represents one of the first hospital-based programs whose specific mission is to identify, control and ultimately prevent exposures to environmental factors that may cause adult, and especially pediatric cancer, as well as other health problems with our children. NOFAS thanks them for posting this valuable information. http://www.dienviro.com/index1.aspx?BD=18244
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Call for Papers: FAS International Congress in Reunion Island
The Congress will be held on April 26-28, 2007. Call for Papers
Ordering Materials on the NOFAS Website
We are in the process of updating our online shopping cart program and are temporarily unable to process credit card transactions. If you would like to order materials, please call 800-66NOFAS and we will be happy to assist you.
Help us keep our National Resource Directory Updated
We are continuously updating our resource directory but need your help. The Directory is online at http://www.nofas.org/resource/directory.aspx Please view the listings for your State, particularly the FASD Diagnostic Resources, and let us know of any additions or changes. Your help will enable us to provide more accurate information for parents and caregivers across the country looking for local support and treatment resources. Email updates to Terrell@nofas.org
What’s New!
Standard Drink Size Poster
A handy reference poster depicting standard sizes of various alcoholic beverages along with information on what constitutes risky drinking. $5. To order, please send check or money order to NOFAS or call 800-66-NOFAS.
Research Briefs
Prenatal Exposure to Moderate Drinking Worsens Cognition in African Americans
http://www.bu.edu/act/alcoholandhealth/issues/issue_sept06/conigliaro_willford.htm
In Utero Alcohol Exposure and Prediction of Alcohol Disorders in Early Adulthood
http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/63/9/1009
Race/Ethnicity and Nativity Differences in Alcohol and Tobacco Use During Pregnancy
http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/96/9/1629?etoc
Prenatal alcohol exposure alters GABAAα5 expression: A mechanism of alcohol-induced learning dysfunction
http://www.ajog.org/article/PIIS0002937806001682/abstract
Upcoming Conferences and Events
Here are a few events happening in the upcoming months. Know of an event in your area? We would be delighted to post it on our website. Please submit information to terrell@nofas.org
National Drug and Alcohol Recovery Month
September 2006
The 2006 Northwest Regional FASD Conference
October 5-6, 2006
Lynwood, WA
Utah Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders 2nd Annual Summit
http://www.dsamh.utah.gov/docs/Oct_16-17_06_FASD_Summit.pdf
12th Annual Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology (MCH EPI) Conference
December 6-8, 2006
http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/MCHEpi/2006/AboutConference.htm
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Lara Terrell, MSW, Editor