The CEO of Australia’s National Organisation for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (NOFASD) says it’s time to end the stigmatisation of women around FASD.
CEO Sophie Harrington addressed delegates at an International Research Conference in Seattle over the weekend – her first international speaking engagement – alongside other global experts sharing their findings on the impacts of pre-natal exposure to alcohol.
Harrington called for an end to the stigma surrounding FASD, noting “pre-natal exposure to alcohol is the leading cause of non-genetic disability in Australia”.
FASD can have extensive impacts including memory, attention and executive functioning challenges, learning disabilities and social difficulties.
“Early diagnosis of FASD and intervention can be life-changing, allowing access to essential services including education and health care support for individuals. Frustratingly, it is often seen as ‘a diagnosis of last resort’ by some clinicians, due to the concern related to stigma, blame and shame. This is something that needs to change,” Harrington – a mother with lived experience of FASD said.
“FASD is not a label, it is a pathway to understanding. My goal through research is to challenge the stigma and the importance of a correct diagnosis.”
Harrington’s conference presentation was based on survey results and extensive feedback from NOFASD’s stakeholders with lived experience of FASD, collected in recent years by NOFASD Australia.
She said the role of alcohol in Australian culture needed to be examined alongside greater educationof FASD, and improved funding and support to those living with the disability.
“Evidence suggests that one in 13 pregnancies where there has been a level of alcohol exposure, will result in FASD,” she said.
“Even the smallest amount of alcohol can have an impact – there is no safe amount. Every moment matters, not only in the prevention phase, but in the more challenging phase when individuals, and families, need support.”
For more information visit the NOFASD Australia website.
Photo: Sophie Harrington