Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Project
FASD
FASD is a term describing the range of effects that can occur in an
individual whose mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy. Nationally,
every year about 40,000 babies are born with symptoms of prenatal alcohol
exposure. These effects may include physical, mental, behavioral, and/or
learning disabilities.
Costs of FASD to society and for each alcohol-affected individual are
very high. The most recent estimate from the National Institute on Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) is that FASD costs the Nation over $4 billion
each year. The lifetime cost for each child with FASD is $2 million or
more. Of individuals with FASD between the ages of 12 and 51: 95% will
have mental health problems, 68% will have “disrupted school experience;
68% will experience trouble with the law; 55% will be confined in prison,
drug or alcohol treatment center or mental institution; 52% will exhibit
inappropriate sexual behavior. (1)
Maine Statistics
- It is estimated that as many as 17.6% of Maine’s pregnant
women use alcohol and/or drugs during pregnancy. This results in roughly
2,300 potentially alcohol-affected at-risk births each year. (2)
- In Maine, 50% of all treatment episodes for women are alcohol related.
- OSA estimates there are approximately 24,000 Maine women in need
of treatment, yet only about 20% enter treatment each year.
FASD is 100% preventable
The FASD Project (11/1/04 - 8/31/05):
In October 2004, the Maine Office of Substance Abuse began a 9-month multi-faceted project that included the development of FASD prevention policies and procedures, and development of FASD prevention programs intended to increase motivation toward behavior change and improving integration of FASD prevention services into existing service delivery systems. The project goal was to eliminate alcohol-affected births in Maine.
Project Activities
The project worked to:
- Establish an FASD working task force
- Develop a state-wide focus on FASD prevention
- Conduct and complete a FASD needs assessment among at risk women
of childbearing age
- Consider appropriate strategies
for addressing FASD prevention based on the Needs Assessment, and
- Develop a comprehensive strategy for the implementation of FASD
prevention initiatives.
Funding was provided by the SAMHSA FASD Center for Excellence
http://www.fascenter.samhsa.gov
1. Source: http://www.fasworld.com/facts.ihtml
2. State of Maine Substance
Abuse Treatment Needs Assessment. Maine Office of Substance Abuse, December,
1999, p. ES-9.
