Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder

Sarah Airey of the Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorders Trust has sent in some information asking churches to consider getting involved in FADS Day in some way. There are plenty of suggestions here for things you might do. There is a variety of medical opinion about the effect of a very small amount of alcohol in and just before pregnancy, but the tragedy, today, is that many women drink quite a bit even just socially without even realising this can affect their unborn child. We have friends who have adopted a child with the Disorder and the effect on her life because of the difficulties caused is far reaching and will be with her for the whole of her life.

HOST A BIG BREAKFASD

National FASD Day - 9th September 2012

http://www.fasdtrust.co.uk/


Helpline 01608 811599

The FASD Trust  (Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders) is organising a BIG BREAKFASD on 9^th September. The Trust is urging people to abstain from alcohol for 9 days and organise a BIG BREAKFASD to fundraise and heighten general awareness of the condition. FADS Day is on the ninth day of the ninth month every year. The date signifies the nine months of pregnancy. 

The purpose of FASD Day is to promote awareness of the risks of consuming alcohol during pregnancy, and to provide support and encouragement both for women during an alcohol-free pregnancy, and for the families and carers looking after children and adults affected by FASD.
Julia Brown, from The FASD Trust says, “Mums to be get mixed messages in pregnancy and social changes have led to an increase in female drinking, especially binge drinking and for younger women.”

“People are now well aware that smoking is bad for the unborn baby, but medically alcohol is more dangerous than cigarettes.  The most dangerous time is the first and last three months of pregnancy. The first three is when the foetus is forming physically; the last three is when the brain can suffer significant damage.”

“The message should be that there is No Safe Time and no Safe Limit for Drinking if you get pregnant.”

“FASD Day, our alcohol abstinence FASD and BreakFASD are aimed at drawing attention to these facts, and fundraising so that we can raise awareness of the problem.”

FASD is a series of wide ranging and preventable birth defects caused entirely by a woman drinking alcohol at any time during her pregnancy, often even before she knows that she is pregnant. Problems include both physical difficulties and memory, learning and attention disorders (see below for more details.)

·         1% of the general population suffer from Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)

·         A significant percentage of children being released for adoption suffer from FASD – with figures as high as 90% in some areas of the UK

·         Only an estimated 18-25% of those with FAS are able to live independently as adults.

Suggestions for drawing people's attention to FASD

1.    Abstain from alcohol for a 9-day FASD

Abstain from alcohol for the first nine days of September and donate the money that would normally be spent on alcohol to The FASD Trust.

Register your interest in the 9-day FASD from alcohol by emailing info@fasdtrust.co.uk for a joining pack. Each day during September, we will be e-mailing you a note of encouragement.

We would like your photos, tweets, Facebook comments, etc in return.

2.    Big BreakFASD

Menu Suggestions:

On 9th September at 9.09am (or even 9.09pm) invite all your friends round for a delicious Big BreakFASD for a donation.

·         Continental selection of croissants, Danish pastries, toast and preserves, coffee/tea orange juice

·         Bagels, scrambled egg and smoked salmon

·         Eggs Benedict

·         Kippers or Haddock

·         A pile of pancakes with maple syrup

·         Traditional bacon, egg, sausage

To register your interest in holding a BreakFASD, send an e-mail to Patrick at info@fasdtrust.co.uk for a poster, invitations to send to your friends, suggestions on how to make your event successful and a link to a video to show your friends explaining about FASD and the work of The FASD Trust.

3.    Church Involvement

As 9th September falls on a Sunday, we are inviting churches to take 9 minutes of their service to stop and pray for all those affected by FASD and the work of The FASD Trust.
Register your interest in praying for us and more details of how your church can be involved in this project, including daily prayer points for the 9 days, Powerpoint slides for your church notices, and how to organise a church BreakFASD, please e-mail Julia at prayer@fasdtrust.co.uk.

To find out more about plans to mark FASD Day in 2012 and to see how you can take part in the planned activities or to make a donation, please see www.fasdtrust.co.uk

Make a donation

Donations can be made through the Charity Choice web site: http://www.charitychoice.co.uk/the-fasd-trust-15175

****************

More about FASD

Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is an umbrella term for several diagnoses that are all related to prenatal exposure to alcohol (i.e. while a baby is still in the womb).  

FASD is a series of preventable birth defects caused entirely by a woman drinking alcohol at any time during her pregnancy, often even before she knows that she is pregnant.

·         1% of the general population suffer from Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)

·         A significant percentage of children being released for adoption suffer from FASD – with figures as high as 90% in some areas of the UK

·         Only an estimated 18-25% of those with FAS are able to live independently as adults.

These defects of the brain and body exist only because of prenatal exposure to alcohol. Often the condition goes undiagnosed, or is partially diagnosed / “misdiagnosed”, for example as autism or ADHD, and this can lead to secondary disabilities.

The challenges a person with FASD faces may include

The Brain                                                                  

Intellectual Disability; lowered IQ    

Memory Disorders

Learning Disorders

Attention Disorders

Sensory Disorders

Speech and Language Disorders

Mood Disorders

Behavioural Disorders

Autistic-like Behaviours

Sleep Disorders

The Body

Visual and Eye Defects

Hearing and Ear Defects

Mouth, Teeth and Facial Defects

Weak Immune System

Epilepsy

Liver Damage

Kidney Defects

Heart Defects

Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Defects

Height and Weight Deficiencies

Hormonal Disorders

Skeletal Defects

Genital Defects

Secondary Disabilities

Loneliness

School Expulsions

Addictions

Chronic Unemployment

Promiscuity

Unplanned Pregnancies

Poverty

Criminality

Prison

Homelessness

Depression and Suicide

About the FASD Trust

The FASD Trust provides support, training and information to those affected by FASD (Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders), their parents/carers and the professionals, such as teachers, doctors, social workers and others seeking to assist them.

In addition, The FASD Trust seeks to raise awareness of FASD, in order to improve the understanding of those affected and the support offered to them by the wider community and to seek to lower the incidence rate of FASD in the UK, as people begin to understand the potential risks of drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

The FASD Trust was set up in 2007 by Simon & Julia Brown who have an adopted daughter affected by FASD. After their daughter was diagnosed, Simon & Julia were surprised by the lack of support and information available and The FASD Trust was set up in response to the "gap" they encountered in support services and the lack of knowledge about this condition.

The FASD Trust reaches out to all sectors of society, to ensure the vulnerable individuals with FASD are supported and protected. They now run support groups for families across the UK, have a Medical & Healthcare Professionals Forum, have guides available for teachers, and are developing a number of other resources, especially for social workers, foster carers and adopters, as many of the most severely affected children are found in the care system.

The FASD Trust also works with young teenage parents, grandparents, birth parents and seeks to be compassionate in its response to anyone affected by this lifelong, but not life-limiting condition.

To register your interest in holding a BreakFASD, send an e-mail to Patrick at info@fasdtrust.co.uk and we will send you a poster, invites to send to your friends, suggestions on how to make your event successful and we will send you nearer the time a link to a video to show your friends explaining about FASD and the work of The FASD Trust.