The past, present, and future of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder work in Newfoundland and Labrador: A landscape paper for change

• Published in: Birth defects research Vol. 110; no. 16; p. 1215
• Main Authors: Dunbar Winsor, Katharine, Morton Ninomiya, Melody E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 02.10.2018
• Subjects: policy change; health policy; FASD; fetal alcohol
• ISSN: 2472-1727
• DOI: 10.1002/bdr2.1378

In this paper, we provide an overview of best practices in FASD prevention, diagnostic, and interventions and supports. In Canada, people diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) represent a fraction people living with FASD. While social stigma may deter people from seeking an FASD diagnosis, other deterrents include the lack of screening and diagnostic referrals, cost of travelling to a clinic, and lack of clarity of how a diagnosis may improve supports and services. Preventing FASD and improving lifelong outcomes for people living with FASD requires a coordinated approach between prevention, diagnostic, intervention, and support efforts. Using the example of Newfoundland and Labrador, a province where 60% of the population lives in rural communities and benefits from being involved in national initiatives and partnerships, we discuss efforts underway in other Canadian provinces to address FASD. We make three recommendations that begin to address FASD-specific needs in both rural and urban regions: a) a provincial FASD consultant position, b) an explicit partnership between provincial government and fasdNL, and c) increased access to FASD diagnostic teams. While the recommendations are both modest and essential first steps, we also suggest that collaborations and resource-sharing in FASD prevention and supports are more about doing things differently, rather than doing more.