fasd maine
Alcohol and Covid-19 Pandemic in Maine and the Nation
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Alcohol is the most widely used substance in Maine.
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Alcohol misuse is a public health concern that became worse during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Data show that access to alcohol in Maine has steadily increased along with associated death, injuries, and diseases.
This brief provides information and context for alcohol use in Maine during the pandemic and beyond.
More information on alcohol use among childbearing aged women, pregnant people, rate of substance exposed infants in Maine.
The costs of increased access to alcohol.
Parent of Child with FAS
Founder of "Brain First Parenting"
Maine families have found that Eileen's support has given them a safe place to:
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learn more about their child's invisible brain-based disability
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learn accommodations and intervention that truly support parent/child/family
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find other families who understand their day-to-day reality, where they will find hope, support, inspiration and reprieve
"When you begin to shift from a parenting approach rooted in behavioral compliance to parenting from a "Brain First" lens, your energy and focus will naturally shift, too.
Making this energetic shift can feel awkward and laborious at first...
You will begin, over time, to slow down your knee-jerk reactions to behaviors, because you now see those behaviors for what they truly are: symptoms of your child experiencing distress, overwhelm and needing more support, versus seeing it as their attempt to intentionally ruin everyone's day.
Instead of all of your energy being centered on behavioral compliance, and what the next consequence will be, you will experience your energy focused on remaining open, curious, and empathetic. The priority now becomes connection, co-regulation, and relationship."
Learn more here
"Families Moving Forward" (FMF)
The Families Moving Forward (FMF) Program (based on the work of Diane Malbin MSW) was developed by Dr. Heather Carmichael Olson in the early 2000s in response to a call from the CDC to develop, test, and implement interventions for children living with FASD. FMF is an evidence-based intervention to help families raising children who are affected by prenatal alcohol exposure, with or without a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) diagnosis. The FMF program combines:
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a positive behavior support (PBS) approach
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motivational interviewing (MI)
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cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
to help parents change their own knowledge and attitudes about PAE and FASDs, leading to improvements in their child’s behavior.
FASD Collaborative Project
Free recorded webinars here.
Some topics covered:
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9 Core Messages: What Everyone Should Know About Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
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Caregiver Success! Parents of Adults with FASD Share What Works
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A Functional Approach to FASD Diagnosis
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Educational Care for Children Affected by Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
FASD Support Groups online and in person here
FASD Collaborative participating organizations here.
For Educators
FASD Collaborative
Free Recorded Webinars
on Challenging Behaviors"
Brief video on importance of FASD awareness in our school systems. A feasible and inspiring approach.
6 Things Educators and School Staff Should Know About FASD
Nate Sheets 8:00 Video
to Manage Escalation
Nate Sheets 8:00 Video
Popova, Svetlana, et al.
Special Education for Children with FASD. Exceptionality.2016 Jul 2;24(3):165–175
Dr. Douglas Waite MD
AAP FASD Champion
Dr. Waite is Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine Mount Sinai Hospital, one of ten national FASD Champions/American Academy of Pediatrics, sits on the National Mental Health Advisory Board of the Child Welfare League of America, and is a member of the Society of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics. In this episode, Dr. Waite addresses:
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what led him to become involved with the FASD population
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the importance of focusing on the adaptive functioning in FASD diagnoses
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the need for clinical pathways for FASD Diagnoses
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critical information for those parenting a child with an FASD
(recorded 2022)
Dr. Waite has presented on FASD to Maine Health Psychiatry Grand Rounds, Maine AAP Foster Care Committee and Conference, Maine Maternal and Child Health SEI Conference.
2024 Alcohol Misuse Prevention Conference
Continuing the Conversation: Preventing Alcohol Misuse Among Emerging Adults
April 24, 2024 9:00am-3:45pm Augusta Civic Center
Registration starts at 8:30am
Register for conference here
Participants who successfully complete this conference will:
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Empower the vital work of youth in alcohol use prevention and learn ways to face the barriers of youth involvement together, including ageism, engagement, and systemic challenges.
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Understand the current Maine landscape of alcohol use and commercial trends in emerging adult populations.
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Learn at least three ways to empower young people and promote intergenerational equity in the fields of substance misuse prevention and public health.
Saskatchewan Prevention
Institute
How can we all be a village of support?
Preventing FASD is more than simply recommending no alcohol use in pregnancy. We all have a role to play in preventing FASD.
If you are a partner, family, friend, or community member:
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Educate yourself and get involved-FASD United, FASD Maine
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Share reliable information from trusted sources about alcohol, pregnancy, FASD
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Support and advocate for pregnant people-ensure access to adequate nutrition, financial resources, addiction services
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Learn more about alcohol and FASD here!
FAQs
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure
"Pregnant women do not cause FASD. Alcohol causes FASD."
Why is light drinking a problem?
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Watch this to learn more from experts and individuals with lived experience
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Watch this to learn how alcohol effects each person and pregnancy differently
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Read this to understand how "low to moderate alcohol consumption" can result in FAS/PFAS
Why is alcohol such a damaging substance?
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Alcohol is a teratogen. All teratogens (like thalidomide or rubella) cause birth defects. Alcohol can cause damage to any system of the body. It is particularly destructive to the brain of the fetus, causing damage to the structures, function, neurochemistry, and the brain's ability to grow and repair. Studies show, there is no safe level of prenatal alcohol exposure.
Read this to better understand how one could not have designed a substance with more capacity to cause damage, given the perfect storm of factors:
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the placenta is not a barrier to alcohol
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recurrent cycle of fetal swallowing and elimination of alcohol
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amniotic fluid acts as a reservoir for alcohol
Do the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure continue into adulthood?
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Learn more here about FASD across the lifespan and how to support the strengths and abilities of those affected.
(Thank you CANFASD)
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Watch this interview with a person diagnosed with FASD in mid-life.
Is alcohol use/prenatal alcohol exposure a concern in Maine?
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Maine has one of the highest rates of alcohol use among childbearing aged adults (62%).
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Maine's overall rate of alcohol use among pregnant adults is 10%
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In six of our sixteen counties the rate is 10% and higher
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As high as 16.5% (1/6) in Cumberland County
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Maine unintended pregnancy rate is 36%
What can we do to help?
So much!
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Read this to learn about stigma
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Go to FASD United to see how our own attitudes and behavior can create barriers for those seeking support in pregnancy
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Many simple effective tools are available to:
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OB/GYN practitioners
Maine providers can participate in the SAFEST Choice Learning Collaborative
For more information about
"Developmental alcohol exposure is exhausting: Sleep and the enduring consequences of alcohol exposure during development."
Prenatal alcohol exposure is the leading nongenetic cause of human intellectual impairment.
The long-term impacts of prenatal alcohol exposure are diverse:
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Neuropathology
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Behavioral, cognitive, and emotional impairments
Additionally negative effects also occur on the physiological level:
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Endocrine
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Cardiovascular
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Immune systems
Among these diverse impacts is sleep disruption. In this review we describe:
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How prenatal alcohol exposure affects sleep
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Potential mechanisms of those effects
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Outline the evidence that sleep disruption across the lifespan may be a mediator of some cognitive and behavioral impacts of developmental alcohol exposure, and thus may represent a promising target for treatment.
Wilson, Donald, et al.Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Volume 158, March 2024
How to Improve
Executive Function (EF)
in Individuals with FASD?
Exercise!
Children with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) struggle with EF deficits:
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problem solving
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planning
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shifting tasks
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verbal and nonverbal fluency
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impulsivity
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working memory
These abilities are required for successful functioning in society.
Structured exercise has been shown to:
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directly cause structural and physiological changes in the brain by increasing blood flow
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results in upregulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)
BDNF plays an integral role in:
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hippocampal functioning*
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neuroplasticity
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learning
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memory
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formation of new neurons and neuroprotection
*The hippocampus is an area of the brain particularly affected by prenatal alcohol exposure.
For FASD (and ASD):
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Exercise interventions were associated with large improvements in executive function (EF).
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Exercise may be a potentially cost-effective and readily implementable intervention to improve executive function in these populations.
Why No Alcohol During Pregnancy is the Safest Choice
Dr. Vincent Smith MD MPH
Division Chief of Newborn Medicine at Boston Medical Center
"Although parents with a substance use disorder* have a higher likelihood of having a child with FASD,
most children with FASDs are born to parents who do not have a substance use disorder."
Prenatal alcohol exposure and potential harm can also occur before a person is aware they are pregnant.
Children with prenatal alcohol exposure come from every social, economic, racial, and ethnic group.
In the United States, nearly 1 in 7 pregnant people report alcohol use in the past 30 days.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises:
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There is no amount of alcohol during pregnancy that is risk-free.
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There is no kind of alcohol during pregnancy that is risk-free.
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There is no time during pregnancy when alcohol consumption is risk-free.
Read complete article here
*Substance use disorder is a treatable chronic disease
75% of children with an FASD have an attention problem and may be diagnosed with ADHD without considering other diagnoses. Attention deficits in children with an FASD without ADHD may derive from deficiencies in:
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executive functioning skills
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short-term memory
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the ability to shift attention
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slower processing speed
Medications for ADHD may worsen symptoms in children with FASD.
11 yo child with parent concerns about attention, hyperactivity, and sleep
Read recently published research and reports on FASD