International FASD Awareness Day
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is an umbrella term that includes a wide range of effects that can occur in individuals whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects may include physical, mental, behavioural, and learning disabilities that carry with them lifelong implications.
First marked in 1999, and now held annually on the ninth day of the ninth month, International FASD Awareness day is a reminder that during the nine months of pregnancy a woman should abstain from alcohol.
Based on Statistics Canada's "Canadian Community Health Survey" and their Birth and Population statistics for the concurrent period, It is likely that 37% of babies have been exposed to multiple episodes of binge drinking (5+ drinks per session) during pregnancy. An additional 42% have been multiply exposed to 1 to 4 drinks per session during pregnancy.(1)
Recognized by Inuit communities as a serious problem requiring greater attention, awareness and support for families, the rate of FASD among Inuit children is not readily available. The lack of diagnostic equipment and specialists needed to identify the disorder means that many cases in our communities are either misdiagnosed or go undiagnosed. As a result the support structures and programs needed to help address issues with FASD-affected children are not available to families, daycare facilities, or schools, and our children do not get the help they need.
In August ITK facilitated a workshop on Early Childhood Development and FASD at the National Inuit Elder and Youth Summit in Inuvik where participants spoke about the effects of FASD in their communities. They spoke to the urgent need to take action to end the disorder, how we need to work together at the community, regional, and national levels to support family and friends in having healthy pregnancies, support families living with FASD and raise greater awareness about the effects of FASD.
The solutions are twofold, awareness, and accurate diagnoses leading to appropriate support. Inuit are doing their part, we are engaged in awareness raising activities and programs across the north. In the evaluations following the workshops one youth participant said "It was an awesome workshop and changed the way I think not only about FASD but about my actions" – our efforts are having a positive effect.
What our communities need now is government action to provide for the timely and accurate diagnosis of this this crippling disorder so that the appropriate support can be made available to those affected by it.