Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and CanFASD: Providing Support and Services

This article discusses Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and the services provided by CanFASD, a health organization in Canada. It explores the impacts of FASD and the importance of FASD-informed practice. The article also highlights how CanFASD supports pregnant women with substance use problems and their families.

Running head: FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDER
FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDER
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
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Introduction
There is increasing recognition amongst health and social care service providers
particularly the ones engaged in community based initiatives with women or youths with
problems related to substance use. These substance users have been encountering hostility,
apprehension, distress with a range of their program contributors who have been prenatally
inclining towards several models of drug such as alcohol, drug and thus suffer from FASD (Fetal
Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) (Rutman, 2016). FASD is identified as an umbrella concept that is
used in order to explain a number of analyses arising from prenatal exposure to alcohol which
includes Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), partial FAS in addition to alcohol associated
neurodevelopmental disorder. Wartnik and Brown (2016) have noted that the impacts of FASD
typically include physical irregularities, characteristic facial features in addition to central
nervous system harm. The following paper will focus on FASD and one of the health
organizations in Canada that has been providing services to individuals suffering from such a
substance use problem.
Discussion
Recently several scholars along with child welfare researchers are growingly identifying
that a analysis of FASD in youths exhibits a prospect to recognize as well as use FASD well-
versed adaptations and developments in order to aid young aged individuals and as a significant
chance to realize and seek the multifaceted requests of pregnant women and family in
identification of the diversity of problems related to FASD (Anderson, Mela & Stewart, 2018).
However, one such health organization who has been providing efficient health care services to
FASD users is CanFASD. This organization recognized as Canada Fetal Alcohol Spectrum

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Disorder Research Network which is a collaborative and interdisciplinary research framework.
The organization primarily operates with collaborators, researchers and associates across several
regions of Canada. The primary mission of the organization is to efficiently support Canada’s
leadership in successfully seeking exceptional issues related to FASD. CanFASD has been
successfully identifying and considering the critical importance that research contributes in
informing policy program development and service delivery (CanFASD, 2019).
The organization’s strategies have been aligned with alcohol model of addiction which is
extensively consumed by pregnant women across the world. Such consumption thus raises the
risk during pregnancy and further result to enduring consequences for the child. CanFASD with
collaborating with national entities dealing with FASD and involving Public Health Agency of
Canada (PHAC), Health Canada along with NeuroDevNet have been introducing regime and
services to aid FASD affected individuals (CanFASD, 2019). The organizations’ target base
mainly comprises of women who consume alcohol during pregnancy and tend to be at high risk
of giving birth to children with prenatal alcohol exposure. CanFASD efficiently serves online
training programs for front-line health as well as socials service professionals by offering them
with adequate knowledge, expertise as well as confidence in order to involve as well as engage
patients in a highly supportive as well as non-judgemental discussion related to substance use
during pregnancy (CanFASD, 2019).
While alcohol use amongst expecting women has been studied in human model systems
thus defining the possibility level of fetal alcohol coverage, substance use has been convoluted
by independent determinants such as frequent maternal consumption of alcohol with toxicity
profile in addition to a lack of quantitative indicators of alcohol exposure. Popova, Lange, Probst
and Parunashvili et al. (2017) have noted that animal model of chinchilla that has demonstrated

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its capacity in obstetric research and its potential utility for MRI and CT measures in the
placenta. Furthermore, this model has generated mechanistic information on the maternal-fetal
kinetics as well as toxicity level of alcohol which can further be construed within the framework
of fetal pharmacology as well as developmental psychobiology. According to Ceccanti,
Fiorentino, Ciolli, Coriale and Messina (2016), the chinchilla model typically has reproduced the
distribution kinetics that has been found in humans and further considered by a reasonably rapid
division phase along with long-terminal half-life mostly determined by the widespread
distribution of THC into adipose tissue. Moreover, research conducted by Williams, Smith and
Committee on Substance Abuse (2015) have noted that THC tends to be exclusively eliminated
by means of metabolism in rats and comparable to what has been seen in humans whereby only
15% of the dosage is emitted in urine. Howlett, Mackenzie, Strehle, Rankin and Gray (2019)
have noted that the role of biliary secretion in rats has been observed by using the isolated
perfused rat liver model whereby around 90% of the perfused THC radioactivity has been
secreted into the bile. Furthermore, research of Hoyme, Kalberg, Elliott, Blankenship and
Buckley et al. (2016) in rats has further suggested that enterohepatic circulation of THC
metabolites may occur. This result thus suggests that that placental along with potential fetal
factors have been identified as highly chief factors regulating fetal THC exposures at unvarying
maternal exposure. On the other hand, research conducted by Cook, Green, Lilley, Anderson &
Baldwin et al. (2016) have revealed that in preclinical model systems of human developmental
exposure, fetal absorption tend to show lower level in comparison to the level observed in
pregnant mothers and thus shows significant dependence on route of administration.
“Joanna, a 23 years old young Christian woman of economically low status has revealed
that she got divorced within 5 months of her second marriage due to confrontation with her

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husband over her addiction to pethidine that she started injecting almost daily within one week of
marriage because of severe abdominal pain. However, eventually after 2 years due to severe poor
economic condition she switched over alcohol consumption. After getting married for the third
time she could not abstain herself from this addiction but continued it despite receiving strong
resistance from her husband and being aware of risks to the fetus. Furthermore, on the occasion
of during her second trimester she consumed alcohol around five times a day without any food
consumption. Even during her lactation period she continued consuming alcohol and less food,
but her routine medical investigations did not show any abnormal limits of blood sugar or
disruptive liver functioning. Moreover, post delivery of a 2.4 kg weighing baby girl showed
everything within limits with no history of poor mother child relationship or faulty association.
However, recent medical reports of the child have shown delayed developmental milestones in
the child particularly in areas of language as well as motor areas. In addition to this, the report of
the child revealed that motor in coordination has also been noticed with hypotonia in all four
limbs with severe lack of anxiety towards unknown individuals.”
At this point of discussion, as a point of considering factors which comprise the FASD-
informed practice and programming, it is imperative to recognize the major principles that
strengthen the approach. Moreover drawing relevance on the emerging literature on FASD-
informed practice, the principles of FASD informed approach must be identified. Reports of
Popova, Lange, Shield, Mihic and Chudley (2016) have revealed that the CanFASD primarily
focuses on providing health and social services of developing awareness of FASD among
pregnant women and their families who engage in substance use during pregnancy. Essential to
the principle of developing awareness of FASD the organization has been identifying an
extensive changeability in the potentials, means as well as challenges of pregnant women with

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FASD because of cerebral effects of FASD along with the concept of developmental age that is
considered to be more effective in comparison to chronological age in providing a sense of
pregnant women’s functioning (Popova, Lange, Probst & Parunashvili et al., 2017). CanFASD
while providing this particular informed practice has introduced supportive campaigns which
target women primarily belonging to socially and economically disadvantaged and given birth to
an FASD-affected child. The aim of this campaign is to increase the level of awareness among
women by providing mental health treatment for their mental health disorders. Furthermore, the
organization primarily engages in creating protection and being association based; for women
with FASD, comprising a safe, reliable connection where they will not encounter any
judgemental approach or being misinterpreted or being stigmatized (CanFASD, 2019). Thus, for
CanFASD being non-judgmental has been regarded as the primary value to reliability, trust and
relationship construction which further has been identified to be highly essential to willingness
or enthusiasm to successfully establish aims, goals and develop changes associated with
individual growth and wellness. Furthermore, CanFASD to provide efficient services for
cognitive, information dispensation along with receptive language complications that many
people with FASD experience, accommodations or adaptations to communication approach has
taken these approaches as highly essential. Moreover, use of explicit communication as well as
engaging the FASD affected individual and her family to process is highly vital (CanFASD,
2019).
Conclusion
Hence to conclude, CanFASD must use practical approaches while working with women
with FASD. Such approaches must inform the FASD affected women the required action or
behaviour, modeling, activities related to role playing as well as education services. It is

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important to note that CanFASD along with using other FASD-informed approaches must
provide experiential learning on a fragmentary base, with significant number of prospects for
practicing rather than supporting the idea that the person will consider or oversimplify from one
situation to the following.

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