Alaska at forefront of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder research: UAA receives $1.1 million grant to study primary prevention strategies for healthcare providers.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: Healthcare

Many people believe that fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, or FASD, only affect young children. But the fact is, individuals who suffer from prenatal exposure to alcohol can develop a number of disabling conditions that last a lifetime.

While the most familiar FASD is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), which is more easily diagnosed because it causes specific physical changes to the face and body, alcohol use during pregnancy can result in other growth and nervous system abnormalities that can cause children within the spectrum to remain below average in physical and mental development throughout their lives. Birth defects related to alcohol use are permanent; fortunately, they are also completely preventable--100 percent.

According to the state of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, the 49th state has the highest rate of FAS in the nation among states that track the disorder. As many as 180 children are reported to the Alaska Birth Defects Registry each year with a suspected FASD--among all races and socio-economic groups.

The good news is that Alaska is at the forefront of FASD training and prevention services and will soon be taking those efforts one step further as the result of a $1.1 million federal grant to establish a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Practice and Implementation Center focused on developing a national approach to prevent, identify, and treat FASD.

What is FASD?

According to Alexandra Edwards, project manager at the University of Alaska Anchorage Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services (CBHRS), FASD is a range of disorders caused by exposure to alcohol in utero.

"Fetal alcohol syndrome, or FAS, is the most severe in terms of the impact that it has on an individual's potential cognitive functioning and physical development," she explains. "Individuals with FAS usually exhibit a certain set of facial characteristics and height and weight discrepancies. Other types of FASD, though not as easily recognizable, also have quite a significant impact, especially if they are not recognized and diagnosed.

"This is sometimes called an 'invisible disorder' because you often can't tell that someone has FASD by looking at them," she adds. "You can only tell because of the individual's behavior and social and cognitive skills, which is why it's important to have an assessment that looks at the person's entire range of functioning, including the cognitive process, communication and language skills, and physical and social aspects."

"Alcohol is unlike any other substance of abuse, including heroin, meth, and cocaine," adds Marilyn Pierce-Bulger, ANP, a certified midwife and owner of FASDx Services, LLC. "Alcohol actually kills and alters cellular structures. If a woman drinks in large doses during the first...