This symposium will provide an expansive overview of the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). FASD is the most common cause of intellectual disabilities in the United States, with a prevalence of at least 1% in the general population (recent estimates are 2-5%) and up to 70% of children in foster care. The prevalence of FASD’s far surpasses that of Trisomy 21, cerebral palsy and autism combined, yet most children and adults with this disorder are never diagnosed as having neurodevelopmental disability secondary to fetal alcohol exposure. Because of stigma regarding alcoholism and substance use and failure to recognize FASD in children, there are few diagnostic and treatment centers in the United States.
• Larry Burd, Ph.D., Director, North Dakota Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Center The University of North Dakota
• William J. Edwards, Esq., Deputy Public Defender, Los Angeles County
• Lori James-Townes, LCSW, Director of Leadership & Program Development for the Maryland Office of Public Defenders • Leslie Seid Margolis, Esq., Managing Attorney of the Education Unit, Disability Rights Maryland
• Diane Smith Howard, Esq., Disability Rights Litigator, National Disability Rights Network
• Kathy Tavenner Mitchell, MHS, LCADC, Vice President and International Spokesperson, National Organization for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
• Doug Waite, M.D., Medical Director, The Children’s Village and FASD Regional Education and Awareness Liaison for the American Academy of Pediatrics
After leaving this symposium, attendees will recognize FASD, understand the need for ongoing advocacy for community-based FASD-specific intervention programs, and learn how to manage the shame and stigma related to fetal alcohol exposure.
• FASD is the leading identifiable cause of intellectual disability
• 735 new cases in Maryland each year
• 14 children with FASD are born each week in Maryland
• 13,230 people with FASD ages birth-18 live in Maryland
• 12,560 remain undiagnosed
• Lifetime cost of care-$2.4 million per case
• ADHD 7 times more common in FASD • Learning disabilities 3-5 times more common in FASD
• Incarceration in juvenile corrections 19 times more common in FASD
Hosted by Maryland CASA Association
