NOFAS Alabama

07/27/2021

Today was a special day for NOFAS and the State of Alabama, as we came together to support The FASD Respect Act. S. 2238 H.R. 4151.

The provisions in this act can:
-Support the creation of a State FASD Task Force and the creation of a state plan for FASD.
- Introduce the use of evidence-based FASD behavioral interventions.
- Supply trained mentors, housing assistance, vocational training and placement for adults with FASD.
- Provide resources and supports for individuals with FASD, parents, caregivers and professionals.
- Integrate FASD informed care into existing programs and services. - Decrease the recidivism rate for FASD in the justice system through the training of police, judges, and prison staff.
- Reduce waste and increase the effectiveness of FASD programming through the creation of FASD Centers for Excellence. - Expand diagnostic capacity to cities through mentoring and training.
- Identify FASD under the IDEA and provide training for schools on teaching students with FASD.
- Provide FASD education to foster care and adoption training programs.
- Build knowledge and capacity of professionals to identify individuals with a possible FASD diagnosis.
- Reduce the incidence of FASD through the reduction of substance exposed pregnancies.
- Improve recovery of adults and teens with FASD through FASD informed addictions treatment services.

NOFAS Alabama wishes to thank the following for their part in making today's call successful

Gil Hanahan - Senator Tommy Tuberville Health Care Liaison
Jenn Wisdahl - Policy & Training Center - NOFAS
Susan Carlson - Board Member - NOFAS
Johanna Jones - NOFAS Affiliate
Whitney Emerson - NOFAS Affiliate

The FASD Respect Act – NOFAS Policy And Training Center
https://nofaspolicycenter.org/the-fasd-respect-act

05/05/2020

Asymmetry: A Neurobiological Marker of Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure in Young Adults Jennifer Willforda, Richard Dayb, Howard Aizensteina, and Nancy Daya of the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
b Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh
PA 15213, USA
Abstract
This study identified structural changes in the caudate nucleus in offspring of mothers who drank moderate levels of alcohol during pregnancy. In addition, the effect of duration of alcohol use during
pregnancy was assessed. Young adults were recruited from the Maternal Health Practices and Child Development Project. Three groups were evaluated: prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) during all three trimesters (3T), PAE during the first trimester only (1T), and controls with no PAE (0T). Magnetic resonance images were processed using the automated labeling pathway technique. Volume was measured as the number (gray + white) and relative percentage (caudate count/whole brain count × 100) of voxels. Asymmetry was calculated by subtracting the caudate volume on the left from the right and dividing by the total (L−R/L+R). Data analyses controlled for gender, handedness, and prenatal to***co and ma*****na exposures. There were no significant differences between the groups for whole brain, left, or right volumes. There was a dose-response effect across the three exposure groups both in terms of magnitude and direction of asymmetry. In the 3T group, the left caudate was larger relative to the right caudate compared to the 0T group. The average magnitude of caudate asymmetry for the 1T group was intermediate between the 0T and 3T groups. Subtle anatomical changes in the caudate are detected at the moderate end of the spectrum of prenatal alcohol exposure.

04/21/2020

Epidemiology of FASD in a Province in Italy: Prevalence
and Characteristics of Children in a Random Sample of
Schools
Philip A. May, Daniela Fiorentino, J. Phillip Gossage, Wendy O. Kalberg, H. Eugene Hoyme,
Luther K. Robinson, Giovanna Coriale, Kenneth Lyons Jones, Miguel del Campo, Luigi
Tarani, Marina Romeo, Piyadasa W. Kodituwakku, Luca Deiana, David Buckley, and Mauro Ceccanti

Background: Accurate estimates of the prevalence and characteristics of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in a Western European population are lacking and are of particular interest in settings where the usual pattern of alcohol consumption is thought to
be daily drinking with meals. To address these issues, an epidemiology study of FAS and other FASD was undertaken in Italian schools.

Methods: Primary schools (n 525) in 2 health districts of the Lazio region were randomly selected and recruited for the study. Five hundred forty-three children, 50% of those enrolled in first-grade classes, received parental permission to participate in a 2-tiered, active case ascertainment screening process. Detailed evaluation of children selected in a preliminary screening phase was carried out on
those who were small for height, weight, and head circumference and/or referred by teachers for suspected learning and behavioral problems. Detailed evaluation was carried out on each child’s:
(1) physical growth and dysmorphology, (2) psychological development and behavior, and (3) prenatal exposure to alcohol and other risk factors for FASD via maternal interviews. A group of 67 randomly selected children without FASD from the same classes was utilized as a comparison group.

Results: Using 2 denominators for prevalence estimation, a conservative one and a strict samplebased estimate, the prevalence of FAS in this province of Italy was 3.7 to 7.4 per 1,000 children. When cases of partial FAS (PFAS) and a case of alcohol-related neurodevelopmental deficits (ARND) were
added to FAS cases, the rate of FASD was 20.3 to 40.5 per 1,000 and estimated at 35 per 1,000 overall or between 2.3 and 4.1% of all children. This exceeds previously published estimates of both FAS and FASD for the western world. Detailed data are presented that demonstrate the utility of the guidelines of the revised Institute of Medicine diagnostic criteria for FASD. Children with FASD are significantly
more impaired/affected (po0.05) than randomly selected comparison children on all measures of growth
deficiency, key facial features of FASD, overall dysmorphology scores, language comprehension, nonverbal IQ, and behavior. Maternal reports of current drinking were significantly higher for mothers of FASD children than comparison mothers, but reported rates of overall drinking during pregnancy were not significantly different. In contrast to expectations, daily drinking among mothers of the comparison group was not common. However, dysmorphology scores of the children were significantly correlated with drinking in the second and third trimesters, drinks per current drinking day, and current drinks per
month. Finally, children with the physical features of FASD had lower IQs; nonverbal IQ was significantly correlated with head circumference and negatively correlated with overall dysmorphology score, smooth philtrum, and several other facial and physical anomalies characteristic of FAS.
Conclusions: Using careful measures of ascertainment in a primary school setting, these results provide relatively high estimates of the prevalence of FASD and raise the question of whether FASD is more common in the western world than previously estimated.

Keywords: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

04/21/2020

Effects of Prenatal To***co, Alcohol and Ma*****na Exposure on
Processing Speed, Visual-Motor Coordination, and
Interhemispheric Transfer

Jennifer A. Willforda, Lynette S. Chandlerb, Lidush Goldschmidtc, and Nancy L. DayaaDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA University of Puget Sound and Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Pittsburgh,
Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA cWestern Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA,
15213, USA
Abstract
Deficits in motor control are often reported in children with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Less is known about the effects of prenatal to***co exposure (PTE) and prenatal ma*****na exposure (PME) on motor coordination, and previous studies have not considered whether PTE, PAE, and
PME interact to affect motor control. This study investigated the effects of PTE, PAE, and PME as well as current drug use on speed of processing, visual-motor coordination, and interhemispheric transfer in 16-year-old adolescents.

Data were collected as part of the Maternal Health Practices and Child Development Project. Adolescents (age 16, n=320) participating in a longitudinal study of the effects of prenatal substance exposure on developmental outcomes were evaluated in this study. The computerized Bimanual Coordination Test (BCT) was used to assess each domain of function. Other important variables, such as demographics, home environment, and psychological characteristics of
the mother and adolescent were also considered in the analyses.

There were significant and independent effects of PTE, PAE, and PME on processing speed and interhemispheric transfer of information. PTEand PME were associated with deficits in visual motor coordination. There were no interactions between PAE, PTE, and PME.

Current to***co use predicted deficits in speed of processing. Current alcohol and ma*****na use by the offspring were not associated with any measures of performance on the BCT.
Keywords: Prenatal Alcohol Exposure; Prenatal To***co Exposure; Prenatal Ma*****na Exposure; Visual Motor
Coordination; Speed of Processing; Bimanual Coordination

04/21/2020

Neurobehavioral Characteristics of Children with Fetal
Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Communities from Italy:
Preliminary Results
Piyadasa Kodituwakku, Giovanna Coriale, Daniela Fiorentino, Alfredo S. Arago´n, Wendy O. Kalberg, David Buckley, J. Phillip Gossage, Mauro Ceccanti, and Philip A. May

Background: There has been considerable effort expended on defining neurobehavioral characteristics of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Children with FASD display a range of cognitive deficits and behavioral problems. In this article, we report on the neurobehavioral characteristics of children with FASD in selected communities in Italy. It was expected that both inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive characteristics would discriminate children with FASD from controls and that the groups would also differ on intellectual functioning, language comprehension, and academic skills.

Methods: Eighty-two children, 22 diagnosed with FASD and 60 control children, participated in this study. The children were administered tests of nonverbal reasoning, language comprehension, academic achievement, and behavior.
Results: On tests of nonverbal reasoning and language comprehension, the FASD group earned lower scores than did controls. Moreover, on a test of academic achievement the FASD group scored lower. When comparing these 2 groups on disruptive behavioral symptomatology, similar results were obtained, the FASD group showing greater attentional difficulties and hyperactivity/impulsivity
behaviors and more overall behavioral problems. Stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that a model containing inattention and error scores on the language comprehension task correctly classified 85% of the participants. Compared with the control group, a significantly greater proportion of
children with FASD met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—fourth edition (DSM-IV) criteria of ADD, inattentive type, as reported by teachers. In contrast, hyperactive symptoms among children with FASD were comparable with the control group. Teachers rated children
with FASD as having more inattentive behaviors and as performing lower in academic skills than
controls. The association between reported hyperactivity symptoms and achievement scores was nonsignificant for both language and math scores, suggesting that it is not the hyperactivity causing problems, but the child’s inattention.

Conclusions: This research indicates that a nonclinic-referred sample of Italian children with FASD display a profile of neurobehavioral functioning consistent with that reported by other researchers. Furthermore, the neurobehavioral characteristic most identified with children diagnosed
with FASD was inattention followed by hyperactivity.

Key Words: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, Neurobehavior

04/18/2020

Hippocampal Abnormalities in Youth with Alcohol-Related
Neurodevelopmental Disorder
Joanna Dudek,1 Jovanka Skocic,2 Erin Sheard,2
AND Joanne Rovet1,2,3

Individuals diagnosed with alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND) exhibit difficulty on hippocampally mediated memory tasks and show reduced hippocampal size. However inconsistencies exist regarding the affected memory functions and where within the hippocampi effects occur. Given recent studies showing anterior and posterior segments support distinct memory functions and s*x dimorphisms in hippocampal function, we asked whether these factors influence memory performance in youth with ARND (n518) and typically developing controls (n517). Participants received a battery of memory tests and a structural MRI scan. Right and left hippocampi were manually traced; anterior and posterior segments were delineated at the uncus. Measured were intracranial volumes (ICV) and right and left hippocampi and hippocampal segments. Volumes were adjusted for ICV. Relative to controls, the ARND group
had lower IQs and memory performance on most tasks and marginally smaller ICVs. Left and right hippocampal volumes and posterior segments were smaller in the ARND group. Although no s*x differences were observed between groups, females overall had larger anterior hippocampi than males. Positive and negative associations between hippocampal and
selective memory indices were found in the ARND group only.

These findings are the first to suggest that posterior hippocampal development may be compromised in youth with ARND. (JINS, 2014, 20, 181–191)

Keywords: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), Hippocampus, Learning, Memory.

03/31/2020

Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Cognitive Status of Children at Age 10
Alcoholism-clinical and Experimental Research,

Background: The effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on measures of intelligence have been well documented in children with fetal alcohol syndrome. However, deficits in general intellectual ability in children with low to moderate PAE are less well understood. The objective of this study was to assess the association between moderate PAE and cognitive ability in children at age 10 controlling for other prenatal and birth factors, maternal and child psychosocial factors, and environmental characteristics.Methods: Data were collected as part of the Maternal Health Practices and Child Development Project, a prospective study of prenatal substance use with 636 mother–child pairs. Women were assessed during each trimester of pregnancy and with their children at birth; 8 and 18 months; and 3, 6, and 10 years. Each phase included an evaluation of growth, development, cognitive, and psychological functioning. At age 10, cognitive ability was assessed using the composite score and verbal, abstract/visual, quantitative, and short-term memory area scores of the Stanford–Binet Intelligence Test, fourth edition. Maternal intellectual ability, maternal prenatal and current drug use, maternal and child psychosocial characteristics, demographics, and home environment were included in the analysis.Results: A significant relation was found between alcohol exposure during the first and second trimesters and the composite score of the Stanford–Binet for African American children at age 10. Significant relations were also found for the verbal, abstract/visual, and quantitative subscales. Additional predictors of IQ at age 10 included mother's IQ, home environment, and child's report of depression.Conclusions: There is a significant association between PAE and cognitive ability at age 10 among African American offspring. There was no relation between PAE and scores on the Stanford–Binet scales among the Caucasian offspring.

03/27/2020

National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS)
·
Scorpion venom shows promise for treating FASD. Yes, you read that right. The finding comes from a research team led by Children’s National Hospital faculty, published in Nature Neuroscience.

Tamapin, an investigational drug derived from Indian red scorpion venom, reverses motor deficits in pre-clinical models of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

02/21/2020

Babies can be diagnosed with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder even if their mother has never consumed alcohol before.