September 9th is the launch and beginning of FASD awareness month. Attached is a document of information and resources with links you may find helpful.

Neurodiversity Throughout Development: From Misperceptions to Understanding

October 22 & 23, 2024

The London & Region Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Conference (LFASDC) is a two-day virtual meeting that connects clinicians, researchers, and the community to share current research, clinical practice, and lived experience with FASD and other complex neurodevelopmental disorders.

This year’s conference theme is Neurodiversity Throughout Development: From Misperceptions to Understanding. We will highlight the role of interdisciplinary collaboration and research translation in achieving successful outcomes for children, youth, adults, and families with complex neurodevelopmental disorders. Speakers from diverse backgrounds, training, and experience will discuss innovative approaches to treatment and support for individuals and families living with FASD. Each year we have highlighted new research in our ePoster and oral presentations.

This conference is ideal for researchers, medical and allied health professionals, educators, students, families, and individuals living with FASD in Ontario and beyond.

For more information about LFASDC 2024, please visit:

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Ontario Network of Expertise (FASD ONE) proudly announces the
release of 4 public service announcements dedicated to preventing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
FASD ONE is committed to raising awareness about the dangers of alcohol consumption during
pregnancy and empowering individuals to make informed choices.

“Our prevention efforts need to change because surprisingly, more people are acknowledging alcohol
use during pregnancy now than a decade ago. Those early weeks really matter even before the
pregnancy has been confirmed so let’s keep these conversations going. Please Share these PSAs in
your circles; personal and professional. It’s up to all of us to support healthy pregnancies!”
said Angela Geddes, representative of the FASD ONE Leads Committee. The four videos are available
on the FASD ONE YouTube Channel.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a diagnostic term used to describe the impact of prenatal
alcohol exposure on the brain and body. FASD is a lifelong disability. Individuals with FASD will
experience some degree of challenges in their daily living, and need support with motor skills,
physical health, learning, memory, attention, communication, emotional regulation, and social skills to
reach their full potential.
FASD is an invisible, life-long neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs in all cultures and levels of
society. Based on the most current research, the estimated prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum
Disorder (FASD) in the general Canadian population is 4% (CanFASD).
FASD ONE is an unincorporated collaboration of diverse provincial and local stakeholder action
groups working to promote, plan, facilitate, and support the coordination, enhancement, and
expansion of services and initiatives to better serve children, youth, parents, pregnant women, and
families affected by FASD in communities across Ontario.
FASD ONE believes Ontario has the capacity to meet many of the needs of those living with FASD
and the capacity to reduce alcohol usage during pregnancy. We are advancing a strategy that
focuses on the protective factors and risk factors, so that the existing system of care has information
to allow effective program delivery.

The Canadian Academy of Health Sciences announced two final targeted engagement opportunities for this first round of engagement in relations to our Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD):

 1.       Zoom conversations with people with FASD. If you have been diagnosed with FASD or think you may have FASD, please join us at one of these sessions:

February 16th @ 12 noon to 1:30pm ET

February 20th @ 6 to 7:30 ET

 2.       Indigenous-led engagement for Indigenous organizations and individuals. These sessions will be facilitated by the Firelight Group and are by invitation.

 These two engagement opportunities will conclude the first part of our consultations. 

 We would like to thank everyone (individuals and organizations) for having participated so far.

 All of this input, along with other evidence, is being reviewed by an independent panel of experts. 

 For more information on the panel and our process, please click on this link.

Every Third Wednesday of the month from 6:00 pm-7:30 pm

This virtual peer support group is open to any parent or caregiver raising a child or youth with suspected OR diagnosed FASD living in Ontario. Our volunteer peer supporters are parents with lived experience and exceptional skills in supporting others. Don’t hesitate to reach out should you have any questions about our peer support groups or family engagement practices.

We also have 20 other chapters across the province supporting parents/caregivers raising children/youth living with mental health challenges. You can check out the locations of our chapters and the resources we have developed for families HERE. Thank you!

SOCIAL MEDIA LINK FOR REGISTRATION: 

For more information contact: Vicki Cochrane, Family Partnership Program Manager, CMHO
Parents for Children’s Mental Health (PCMH)

Telephone: (416) 921-2109 ext.128; website: www.family.cmho.org

Families can connect with peer support by emailing: support@pcmh.ca

4th Annual London & Region Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Conference

Breaking Stigma: Supporting Success in a Complex World.

 October 24 & 25, 2023

https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/ddp/research/london_and_region_fetal_alcohol_spectrum_disorder_conference/index.html

The abstract submission deadline is: Friday, August 18, 2023.

Submission Guidelines:  Please organize your abstract using the following headings: Title, Background & Research Objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusions.  Abstracts should be double-spaced and use an 11-point font minimum.  The maximum word count is 250.  Please also include your name, affiliation, and contributing authors.  We will consider submissions for studies in progress, although preference will be given to completed projects.  

Prizes:  The best ePoster and the best oral presentation delivered by a trainee or junior faculty will each be awarded $250 and a certificate of recognition.

Questions regarding research abstract submissions can be directed to Palmer Taylor at palmer.taylor@ontario.ca 

For further information about the conference, please contact either Dr. Clare Mitchell at clare.mitchell@ontario.ca or Palmer Taylor at palmer.taylor@ontario.ca   

The research team at CanFASD has developed a guide which outlines current practices to support individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) who are in treatment for substance use. In this guide, they provide consolidated and expanded knowledge regarding appropriate substance use treatment approaches for individuals with FASD. They adopt the perspective that individuals with FASD can benefit from treatment support that is well-suited to their unique neurodevelopmental needs. 

They are currently in the process of disseminating their guide and we would like to share it with you. Please feel free to use the link below to access the PDF of the guide. me know if you have any questions.

They are also adapting the guide into an online training module in the CanFASD e-learning portal and we will provide a link when it is ready.

Thank you to CanFASD and their team for sharing; Devyn Rorem, M.Ed | she/her Graduate Research Assistant School and Clinical Child Psychology Graduate Student Department of Educational Psychology University of Alberta

Are you a Canadian resident that has a child with a neurodevelopmental disorder that is 4-12 years old and has difficulties falling asleep and/or staying asleep? 

Better Nights, Better Days for Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders is a free, online program based on behavioural principles that supports parents of children aged 4-12 years old with a neurodevelopmental disorder who experience difficulties falling and/or staying asleep.  

Our online program encourages positive behaviours that will help children achieve a better quality and quantity of sleep throughout the night. To see if the program is a good fit for you and your child, visit our website:   

Can I Participate? | BNBD (betternightsbetterdays.ca) 

13^th Annual Anishinabek G7 FASD Conference Call for Workshop Facilitators.  Please take a look at the attached poster for more information.