From rosse at ncf.ca Mon Feb 2 20:56:23 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Mon Feb 2 21:04:12 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Rat study leads to alcohol warning for pregnant women Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090202204913.03e88cd0@ncf.ca> "...Children in the UK are legally permitted to drink in the home from the age of five, providing they are under parental supervision...." http://www.kiddicare.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/newsarticle0_79236_10751_-1_10001 Kiddicare News U.K. 2009/01/16 - Rat study leads to alcohol warning for pregnant women New research performed on rats has suggested that women who drink while pregnant may inadvertently increase their unborn child's chance of alcohol abuse in later life. American scientists at the State University of New York performed a study on pregnant rats, which tested responses to the smell of alcohol in pups whose mothers had been fed the substance during gestation against those which had not. Steven Youngentob is quoted by journal Behavioural and Brain Functions as saying: "These results highlight an important relationship between fetal and adolescent experiences that appears essential to the progressive development of alcohol abuse." The study concluded that fetal ethanol exposure resulted in an alternative perception of the scent of alcohol, with the rats that had been exposed during pregnancy displaying preferential behaviour towards the smell. The Government recently announced it would be issuing a set of guidelines to parents regarding allowing their children to drink in the home. Children in the UK are legally permitted to drink in the home from the age of five, providing they are under parental supervision. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090202/f34d23b5/attachment-0001.html From rosse at ncf.ca Mon Feb 2 20:50:56 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Mon Feb 2 21:04:15 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] GSU program helps grandparents who are primary caregivers Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090202205045.03e890a8@ncf.ca> "...many of the children had developmental delays due to fetal alcohol syndrome or substance abuse by their mothers..." http://www.ajc.com/services/content/hotjobs/careercenter/pulse/2009/01/18/project_healthy_grandparents.html ajc.com Atlanta, Georgia GSU program helps grandparents who are primary caregivers By Laura Raines Pulse editor Sunday, January 18, 2009 More than 10 years ago, Barbara J. Smarr stepped in to raise her four grandchildren (ages 6, 7, 15 and 16) when their drug-addicted mother could no longer care for them. ?At that time, I didn?t have insurance for them and I didn?t know anything about legal aid,? Smarr said. [Photos] Photos by BARRY WILLIAMS / AJC Special Carolyn Johnson of Atlanta holds her granddaughter Jaylee, 2. Johnson received help from Project Healthy Grandparents after she began raising two of her grandchildren. Jewett Mukenge, nursing services supervisor for Project Healthy Grandparents, takes Maria Webley?s blood pressure. Part of the project?s focus is on the health of people who are taking care of their grandchildren. A co-worker had read about Project Healthy Grandparents, a Georgia State University program that provides support to low-income grandparents who care for their grandchildren. Smarr enrolled in the program. ?They helped me gain legal custody, so that I could do what I needed to do for them get them enrolled in school and get them health services through Medicaid,? Smarr said. ?It cost $2,300, but I only paid a $300 fee. I became their mother with the help of the Lord, but I don?t know what I would have done without this program.? Jamie Glenn, 62, has raised two of her 11 grandchildren from infancy. Their mother was addicted to crack cocaine and had abandoned them. Glenn is proud that one grandson is graduating from Decatur High School this year and the other is doing well in middle school. Her daughter has since straightened out her life and remarried, but Glenn continues to make a home for her grandsons. ?I tell them that they need me, but I need them, too. It?s not a one-way street,? said Glenn, 62. She gives credit to God, her mother and to Project Healthy Grandparents, who helped her adopt the boys, pay utility bills during tough times, supply clothing and monitor her health. High blood pressure and diabetes runs in her family, but she?s avoided it so far. Two nurses at Georgia State University, Susan Kelley, Ph.D., and Bea Yorker, RN, J.D., established Project Healthy Grandparents in 1995. When she was researching child abuse and neglect, Kelley became increasingly concerned at how many children were being raised by their grandparents because their parents were drug- or alcohol-addicted, incarcerated or dead. According to the 2000 census, 6.3 percent of children under 18 (4.5 million) are living in grandparent-headed households. Filling in the gaps ?We knew that these grandparents had to be facing tremendous obstacles financially, physically and emotionally, so we put our heads together to come up with an intervention,? said Kelley, dean of Georgia State University?s College of Health and Human Sciences and director of Project Healthy Grandparents. ?Due to their age, poor health or poverty, many were struggling and, while there are community and social programs in place to help parents, they often don?t apply to grandparents.? Georgia State founded and supported the home- and community-based program. It still funds about half the costs; other funds come from the Georgia Department of Human Resources and private foundation grants. ?Our goal was to use an empowerment model,? Kelley said. ?Grandparents bring many strengths to the role of parenting their grandchildren. We wanted to help them identify those strengths and build on them. ?We also wanted to help them find resources in the community to meet their needs.? Project Healthy Grandparents has about 40 families enrolled in the program each year. For the first year, a nurse and social worker visit the homes once a month. ?We do physicals and health screenings, help manage their medications and refer them to community health providers as needed,? said Jewett Mukenge, BSN, RN, nursing services program coordinator. ?If they can?t afford a doctor, we hook them up with free clinics. ?We help them set up self-care plans that may include stress-relief education or weight management. They don?t have the time to focus on their own health, so we do it.? The program works with each family on an individual basis. ?Our social workers do a family assessment to determine the unique needs of each family and help them establish a plan,? said Vee Breedlove, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor at Georgia State?s School of Social Work. Social workers refer clients to agencies that can help with transportation, food, clothing and health care. If adoption or legal guardianship seems appropriate, workers refer them to the Atlanta Legal Aid Society or to Kilpatrick Stockton, a law firm that does pro bono work. Early intervention Noticing that many of the children had developmental delays due to fetal alcohol syndrome or substance abuse by their mothers, the program began offering early-intervention services for children up to age 5. If workers suspect delays, they refer children to the Marcus Institute?s Fetal Alcohol Center at Emory University for full testing. After diagnosis, children often are eligible for public health or education programs such as Babies Can?t Wait, Preschool Special Education or Head Start. Atlanta resident Carolyn Johnson, 51, got a sudden call from legal services in Florida several years ago. Her son was overseas in the military and the mother of her 19-month old grandson and 4-month-old granddaughter couldn?t take care of them. So Johnson took them in. She recently discovered Project Healthy Grandparents. ?When my grandson wasn?t speaking well at school age, the PHG staff got him to the Marcus Institute and they?ve referred us to specialists to help,? Johnson said. ?This program is invaluable. The avenues that they have opened up to me are priceless.? Since her son won?t be out of the military for many years, Johnson is considering adoption. ?I hadn?t planned on this, but the Lord just chooses some of us to be involved more directly with our grandchildren,? she said. Johnson takes part in the program?s twice-monthly support group and information sessions, which are made up of current and former clients. With ages ranging from the 40s to the 70s, many grandparent caregivers are single and taking care of elderly parents as well as grandchildren. They have plenty of psychological stress and fewer avenues of support. ?The support group helps them not feel so alone, and they draw so much strength from one another,? Kelley said. ?They are all inspiring individuals. Many start out saying they don?t see how they can do it, but then they do. ?Our funding agencies tell us that they like the sound of our program and what we do ? but what sells them is meeting our clients.? Since its inception, the program has helped about 650 families and 1,500 children. ?The numbers aren?t large because of the intensity of the services,? said Kelley, but the impact has been great. ?In the last decade, there has been a lot more attention given to grandparents raising children, and other cities have support groups,? Kelley said. Project Healthy Grandparents has been studied and replicated at several other universities, including the University of Georgia and the Medical College of Georgia. ?I only know of a few other programs that are as comprehensive as ours,? Kelley said. ?I?m very proud of our staff and what they?ve done.? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090202/dea197ab/attachment-0001.html From rosse at ncf.ca Mon Feb 2 20:51:13 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Mon Feb 2 21:04:17 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] =?iso-8859-1?q?It=92s_closer_to_you_than_yo?= =?iso-8859-1?q?u_think?= Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090202205104.03e891f0@ncf.ca> http://www.crookstontimes.com/news/x1722733640/It-s-closer-to-you-than-you-think Crookston Daily Times Crookston, Minn. It's closer to you than you think By Natalie J. Ostgaard, City Editor Tue Jan 27, 2009, 01:25 PM CST [Photo] Jody Allen Crowe speaks Monday evening at CHS. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) somehow affect every person's life in the United States, maintains Jody Allen Crowe, an educator who's become an expert on the subject. "Look around you and I guarantee you'll find at least one person who has it," he said in a presentation at the Crookston High School Monday evening. "It's in every community, every school." Crowe made the rounds in Crookston Monday, starting right away in the morning with a presentation for Crookston schools staff during their staff development session. He moved on to the University of Minnesota, Crookston in the afternoon, where some 200 people, including professionals and interested citizens, attended. He finished up with his evening session for a smaller group. Currently director of Team Academy Charter School in Waseca, Crowe has spent 18 years as a teacher, principal and superintendent on reservations in Minnesota and Idaho. At his first teaching job on the Leech Lake Reservation in Cass Lake, he began to notice a pattern of abnormal behaviors among some students. These included impulsiveness; ADD and ADHD; memory problems; trouble with math, reading and writing; inability to control behaviors; promiscuity; and assaults on other students and teachers. He also noticed serious physical deformities in a number of these students. Then, he saw a presentation on fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), which, simply put, is prenatal exposure to alcohol caused by the mother's drinking. "It all clicked," he said. This set him on a journey of research that took years to complete, one that brought forth some surprising revelations about FASD, which includes FAS and other effects to the central nervous system. Effects of FASD can range from the more obvious facial deformities and extremely violent and reckless behaviors to less visible but just as destructive things like learning disabilities and depression. The estimated costs to society for a heavily prenatally exposed child are over $1 million over his/her lifetime. And although these disorders are highly prevalent on reservations, where alcohol abuse rates are higher, "You'd be surprised how much we're seeing of it everywhere else. More and more, it's coming up in schools and at work." Perhaps the most alarming revelation was the link Crowe discovered between school shootings and FASD. After taking data from 69 school shooters and studying the matter this extensively, he determined that more than 80 percent of school shooters across the nation fit the profile of being affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol. "It was astounding," he said of the discovery, which led to his recently published book, "The Fatal Link," published by Outskirts Press ( www.outskirtspress.com). The Crookston presentations were his first since the book came out. While Crowe's research involved much mathematical and scientific calculations, it's a different story with his mission. As the founder of the non-profit organization Healthy Brains for Children (http://www.healthybrainsforchildren.org), he aims to prevent the occurrence of FASD with community awareness and prevention techniques. "If we can stop one kid in every community from this happening, it gives them a chance at life," he said. Unfortunately, FASD is already present in many and will continue to be a problem. No amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy, he stressed, and some women who stop drinking as soon as they find out they're expecting unintentionally harm their babies with alcohol consumed before that time. "Once the brain is damaged from alcohol, it's for a lifetime," said Crowe. "We must understand how their brain works and work around the victims of FASD to prevent them from making the mistakes that can change their lives forever. You need to treat it differently than if it's a willful behavior." The community needs to take this issue very seriously and alcohol companies, parents, doctors and public health officials must be held responsible to avoid completely preventable tragedies, he added. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090202/5da3bea9/attachment-0001.html From rosse at ncf.ca Mon Feb 2 20:51:28 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Mon Feb 2 21:04:20 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Alcohol: Drinking during Pregnancy and After Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090202205119.03e89338@ncf.ca> [This is very misleading!!! ER] "...Babies exposed to excess alcohol in utero may not have full fetal alcohol syndrome, but they may have minor problems that show up later...." http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977575631&grpId=3659174697246155&nav=Groupspace Gather [social networking for the over-30 crowd] Talking about Health with doctors from Harvard Medical School Alcohol: Drinking during Pregnancy and After January 26, 2009 05:58 PM EST by Vicky McEvoy, M.D., Harvard Medical School Member since: August 29, 2007 Should babies be drinking? Just kidding?that answer is obviously no. But have you examined the role of alcohol in your household? Many mothers, upon discovering they are pregnant, give up alcohol for the duration of the pregnancy. They have already taken the first step in the alcohol assessment. But what about after pregnancy? Both parents should examine their relationship with alcohol in light of the new addition to the family. Have you been a binge drinker in the past? Does having a good time mean lots of booze? Do you always have a drink or two or three at night? Do you know how much alcohol is considered too much? An adult male should not have more than two drinks a night, and an adult female one drink a night. (A drink is considered 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, and 1.5 ounces of hard alcohol.) As with most things in life moderation is the key, but not drinking at all could be a good option, too. Alcohol during pregnancy Ideally, women should avoid alcohol during pregnancy. During pregnancy, too much alcohol ingestion by the mother can produce a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome. These babies are small, have a long philtrum (the space between the lower nose and the border of the lip), may have small heads, and usually have significant learning problems. Babies exposed to excess alcohol in utero may not have full fetal alcohol syndrome, but they may have minor problems that show up later. Alcohol after pregnancy As new parents, you will probably be sleep deprived, and while a drink may be especially appealing as you are tense and nervous, bear in mind that you will probably be called upon in the middle of the night for feeding, changing a diaper, or even a midnight car ride to the emergency room. You need to have your wits about you. If nursing, you should have no more than one drink a day since alcohol can be transmitted in the breast milk; no alcohol would be even better. It makes sense to have a discussion about any alcohol problems that run in the family before a baby is added to the household. If you have family members with alcoholism, you may have a genetic predisposition to alcoholism. The transition from college hellion to responsible adult needs to happen before this little person appears. Of course, responsible, moderate drinking is possible for many adults. But take the time to openly discuss this issue with your spouse before the baby comes. Alcohol problems have a way of sneaking up on families when they are least able to deal with them. It?s better to discuss ahead of time how much?if any?drinking you think is OK after your baby comes. What are your feelings about alcohol habits with a child? Do you have problem drinkers in the family? Dr. Victoria McEvoy graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1975 and is currently an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at HMS. She is the Medical Director and Chief of Pediatrics at Mass General West Medical Group. She has practiced pediatrics for almost thirty years. She has been married to Earl for thirty six years and raised four children. She currently enjoys writing, traveling, reading, almost all sports, and spending time with her two grandsons. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090202/c64c4f36/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Mon Feb 2 21:30:30 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Mon Feb 2 21:34:13 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Yukon Health Minister Looks to Strengthened Working Relationship on FASD Issues Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090202213022.03a60890@ncf.ca> http://www.gov.yk.ca/news/2009/09-007.html Yukon Government of Yukon News release FOR RELEASE #09-007 January 29, 2009 Health Minister Looks to Strengthened Working Relationship on FASD Issues WHITEHORSE ? Health and Social Services Minister Glenn Hart is looking forward to an improved working relationship with Health Canada after meeting with federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq at the Canada Northwest Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Partnership (CNFASDP) meeting in Vancouver on January 23. ?I was pleased Minister Aglukkaq attended the meeting to hear about the work being done by the western provinces and territories and was open to explore an improved working relationship between the Partnership and the federal government,? Hart said. The CNFASDP, which was formed in 1998, hosts regular conferences and symposia on FASD. Minister Aglukkaq, who previously sat on the Partnership representing Nunavut, is only the second federal minister to accept an invitation to attend the Partnership meeting. ?The federal minister is very interested in preventing FASD, which is certainly consistent with the priorities of the Partnership,? Hart added. In 2004 ministers formed a network to promote and coordinate FASD-related research. Today, the Research Network leads the way on FASD research in Canada. Hart said the research network is bringing about strengthened working relationships right across the north and the west. At the January 23 meeting ministers heard reports from the Research Network and approved work plans for the coming year. In addition, Dr. Linda Burnside and Don Fuchs from the University of Manitoba presented the results of a Manitoba study that looked at the cost of child welfare care associated with FASD. ?All jurisdictions are concerned about the economic impact of FASD,? Hart said. ?We need to find effective prevention initiatives and ways to support people with FASD while ensuring taxpayers? money is spent efficiently on programs and services.? Yukon has been a member of the CNFASDP alliance, which is made up of the three territories and four western provinces, since 1999. -30- Contact: Roxanne Vallevand Cabinet Communications 867-633-7949 roxanne.vallevand@gov.yk.ca Patricia Living Communications, Health & Social Services 867-667-3673 patricia.living@gov.yk.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090202/8a3fada2/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Tue Feb 3 13:58:26 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Tue Feb 3 14:04:13 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Ban stun gun use on young people, Ont.'s child advocate Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090203135817.0464e4e8@ncf.ca> "...The teen, who was 14 at the time and has fetal alcohol syndrome..." http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/02/03/stungun-advocate.html?ref=rss cbcnews.ca Canada Ban stun gun use on young people, Ont.'s child advocate urges police Teenager, father sue OPP for $500,000 Last Updated: Tuesday, February 3, 2009 | 11:11 AM ET CBC News Ontario's child advocate has recommended the provincial police force ban the use of stun guns on minors unless someone's life is in danger. The call comes after a teenager was shocked in the Sioux Lookout OPP detachment cell last summer. The 15-year-old female, who cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was picked up by Ontario Provincial Police for underage drinking following an altercation at a July 2008 party. The teen, who was 14 at the time and has fetal alcohol syndrome, was waiting in the jail cell for a court hearing. Her father, who also cannot be identified, said his daughter was picking paint off the cell walls out of boredom. Police warned her to stop and when she didn't, her father said officers entered her cell, held her down by both arms and shot her with a stun gun. "They put her down, they took out something black and the next thing you know, there was a scream. Why would they do that? She wasn't doing anything wrong, just scratching on the wall," he said. According to police documents, officers said they were forced to subdue her with the stun gun after she attacked them. She was later convicted of assaulting a police officer during the incident. Inappropriate response: child advocate Her father says he didn't see any evidence of violence on her part when he watched the police videotape of the incident and launched a complaint against the OPP. He and his daughter are also suing the police force for $500,000. The OPP will not comment on the case because of the lawsuit; however, an internal investigation by the OPP's professional standards bureau found the complaint was unsubstantiated due to insufficient evidence. Lawyers for the force are expected to file a statement of defence during the next few days, which could offer more information on the case. Ontario Child Advocate Irwin Elman said the police response was not appropriate. "When I saw the tape, we had a young person who was peeling paint off the wall of a police holding cell with her fingernail and she was quiet and on a cot," he said. "And our estimation, the use of a Taser was not proportional to the need to protect, I guess, the paint on the wall." Elman said the police force should suspend its use of stun guns on youth until more information is known about their effects. "We're asking for a moratorium on the use of Tasers on children and youth, certainly in our province, until there's established, full research about their use on children and youth," he said. According to a recent RCMP audit, as many as 90 people under the age of 16 across the country were shocked by stun guns between 2001-2008, said Elman. "It's hard to tell how much that happens in Ontario's police holding cells or elsewhere because there's no real transparent oversight on the use of Tasers." OPP Insp. Dave Ross say the force hasn't seen Elman's recommendations but will review and consider them. "We're always reviewing our policies and procedures with any practices we do in the OPP to ensure we're delivering the best services we can to the communities, but still fulfilling our mandate of public safety," he said. Debate over stun guns Jeff Roberts, a lawyer for the father and daughter, said stun guns are no longer weapons of last resort, but are being used by police as a method of pain compliance. Roberts calls that cruel and unusual treatment that is forbidden under international law. "It's unnecessary and extremely cruel. Would you like me to stick your kid's finger in a light socket?" he said. The use of stun guns on young people has been under debate across the country following a number of incidents: * New Brunswick banned the use of the weapons on youth prisoners last year after an 18-year-old female was stunned twice while jailed in Saint John. * Michael Langan, 17, died last July after Winnipeg police shot him with a stun gun after an altercation with officers. * RCMP in the Northwest Territories are investigating their use of a stun gun on a teenage girl at a youth detention centre in Inuvik in 2007. * A Halifax Youth Court judge criticized three police officers for their arrest of a teenage girl, who was tackled in her own bed and shocked twice with a stun gun in February 2007. Testimony is also ongoing at an inquiry into the October 2007 death of Robert Dziekanski, a 40-year-old Polish immigrant who died after being stunned several times at Vancouver International Airport. With files from Karen Pauls and Marisa Dragani -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090203/ed87c107/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Tue Feb 3 14:00:43 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Tue Feb 3 14:04:16 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Pregnant girl, 14, accused of drink driving: New Zealand Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090203140036.0464db68@ncf.ca> "...The case raised fears about possible alcohol harm to the unborn baby..." http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10554102 New Zealand Herald News National Pregnant girl, 14, accused of drink driving 1:00PM Thursday Jan 29, 2009 Police were shocked to find a driver they pulled over for driving erratically on Kamo Rd was only 14, four months' pregnant and allegedly nearly six times over the alcohol limit. Whangarei police Acting Sergeant Kevin Crawford said the girl was stopped after her driving caught police attention on Tuesday evening. She gave a false name and had difficulty spelling it. She was forbidden to drive and taken to Whangarei police station, where she recorded a breath- alcohol level of 828mcg. The legal limit for drivers under 20 is 150mcg and driving licences are not issued to people under 15. The girl will be referred to Youth Aid, Mr Crawford said. The case raised fears about possible alcohol harm to the unborn baby, Whangarei Hospital obstetrician Ian Page said. High levels of alcohol intake during pregnancy led to a distinct risk of damage to the baby's development, he said. But while frequent high levels of alcohol were known to cause fetal alcohol syndrome, little was known about the effects of a "simple one-off binge - which this may have been". "And it doesn't matter if she's 14 or 44, the possibility for harm is the same," Mr Page said. "Nobody knows how much or how little alcohol is safe during pregnancy so the general recommendation is to avoid it altogether." Northland Child Youth and Family operations manager Nick Findley said the allegations against the girl were serious and his organisation would expect to be involved with her through the Youth Aid section. Mr Findley said, in general, a situation like this would involve care and protection issues for the girl, for her unborn child and for the community. "There's also the youth justice issue, drink-driving is a serious offence. She will be referred to Youth Aid and behind that is the philosophy of how can we stop this happening again. "The second issue is she's only 14 and shouldn't have been driving the vehicle so how did that happen, who else was in the car with her and was this the first time she had done this?" - NORTHERN ADVOCATE -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090203/3fa426c5/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Wed Feb 4 22:30:33 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Wed Feb 4 22:34:10 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Combined measures of maternal drinking can predict resulting problems in children Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090204223021.0352a030@ncf.ca> http://www.news-medical.net/?id=45442 News-Medical.Net Combined measures of maternal drinking can predict resulting problems in children Published: Monday, 2-Feb-2009 Child Health News While many people are aware that drinking during pregnancy can lead to a range of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs), including the serious Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), linkages between maternal-drinking measures and child outcomes have been inconsistent. Researchers have now designed a "metric" or combination of measures that appear better able than individual measures to predict prenatal neurobehavioral dysfunction and deficits in children. Results will be published in the April issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View. "The number of children being born with FAS remains unnecessarily high," said Lisa M. Chiodo, a researcher at Wayne State University and corresponding author for the study. "In part this is because it is difficult to identify patterns of drinking during pregnancy that put women's children at risk for FAS and other FASDs." Chiodo said that although there are several measures of maternal drinking during pregnancy, their ability to predict child outcomes - particularly cognitive and behavioral problems - has been inconsistent. "We thought that combining many of the clinical and research measures of alcohol drinking into a single metric might help us find every child in our study who had been exposed to levels of alcohol that put them at risk," she said. Only one other group has constructed a composite metric meant to identify women who were at risk of having a child with FASDs, Chiodo added, and the current metric differs from that one by focusing on problems related to alcohol drinking and not including other health concerns or risky behaviors. The author of that other metric was Claire D. Coles, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Emory University School of Medicine. "It is imperative that health-care professionals ask pregnant women about their alcohol and drug use in order to provide appropriate care for the women, and to provide anticipatory guidance for their children," she said. "Knowing that a woman has a substance-abuse problem or is an alcoholic is likely to be highly related to later developmental problems in the children." Researchers examined a sample of 75 African-American mothers as well as their four- to five-year-old offspring. The mothers self-reported peri-conceptional and repeated in-pregnancy maternal drinking in response to a number of semi-structured interviews and standard screening instruments, which were then used to construct a metric of "maternal prenatal risk drinking." The offspring were tested for IQ, attention, memory, visual-motor integration, fine motor skills, and behavior. The metric was then assessed against these outcomes. The metric identified more than 62 percent of the mothers as drinking at risk levels; 23 percent more than the individual selection criterion identified. "We had good reason to think that risk drinking was more common than thought," said Chiodo, "so detecting more risk drinkers was not that surprising. The real surprise was how successful the metric was in predicting deficits and problems in the children. In fact, our metric predicted poor child cognition and behavior problems better than any of the individual measures of maternal alcohol consumption or screens for problem drinking alone." "These combined measures of substance abuse were more predictive than alcohol-volume metrics," observed Coles. "Generally, alcohol-volume measures are less effective probably ? due to self-reporting issues. I think that the strength of this paper is its reinforcement of the idea that alcohol use, particularly at levels that would define a woman as an alcohol abuser or alcoholic, is dangerous during pregnancy. For the clinician, it reinforces the idea that pregnant women should be questioned about their drug and alcohol use and that there are reliable and quick methods for identification of those at risk." "Clinicians must be able to identify risk levels of drinking in their pregnant patients because that is a critical time for possible treatment and prevention," said Chiodo. "After the children are born, we also need to be able to identify which children were exposed to 'risky' alcohol levels during pregnancy to allow correct diagnosis of, and early intervention with, children with FASDs. We do not know how or if our current metric might be adapted in practice for clinicians. However, our results suggest that it might be useful for health-care providers to use more than one measure of drinking in a more thorough examination of risk patterns and problem drinking." http://www.wiley.com/bw/journal.asp?ref=0145-6008 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090204/304d3a4e/attachment-0001.html From rosse at ncf.ca Wed Feb 4 22:30:52 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Wed Feb 4 22:34:13 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] =?iso-8859-1?q?The_left=92s_aboriginal_blin?= =?iso-8859-1?q?d_spot?= Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090204223043.03529b10@ncf.ca> Skipped content of type multipart/related-------------- next part -------------- From rosse at ncf.ca Wed Feb 4 22:31:08 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Wed Feb 4 22:34:15 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Feeding on their own failure Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090204223100.03529880@ncf.ca> www.canada.com 3 Feb 2009 National Post FRANCES WIDDOWSON ALBERT HOWARD FEEDING ON THEIR OWN FAILURE Caregivers face a conflict of interest: Their advice, when followed, diminishes the demand for their services. Practising doctors and dentists make their living by treating health problems, not in eradicating their source. The dichotomy is reflected in many areas in which services are created to respond to preventable conditions TYLER ANDERSON / NATIONAL POST [Photo] A young resident of Kashechewan Reserve in Northern Ontario plays in front of a run-down home. The charity and poverty industries are examples. No one suggests that handing out soup and blankets to the homeless will affect the homelessness situation. Charity fundraising depends on whatever disease or disaster is the object of the campaign. Although fundraisers are rarely in a position to actively maintain the conditions that assure the need for their services, whole industries have developed around conditions for which the real remedy is fundamental change. There is, however, a socially accepted industry that provides a product, the consumption of which actively increases the need for more. It is funded by Canadians through labour exploitation and taxation, and it is highly profitable. The Aboriginal Industry is an amalgamation of lawyers, consultants, anthropologists, linguists, accountants and other occupations that thrive on aboriginal dependency. The industry?s strategy is pushing atavism ? reverting to the past for solutions to present problems. The magnitude of the industry?s processes can be seen in the number of government agencies among the participants. In addition to the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, almost every government department now funds an aboriginal division and numerous programs that target the aboriginal population. Such funding enables the Aboriginal Industry to pursue endless negotiations, the main function of which is to pave the way for more meetings. It is important to point out, however, that the actions of the Aboriginal Industry are not necessarily a case of vulgar opportunism ? like the hypothetical dentist proffering candy; its motivations are far more subtle and complex. Many members of the Aboriginal Industry are not even aware that they are part of it. There is no conspiracy being perpetrated by the lawyers, consultants and anthropologists working for aboriginal organizations. What exists is a natural impulse to follow material interests, to veer ultimately toward self-interest. It is understandable that industry members advocate policies that lead to jobs, contracts and payments to members of their group. Politics is all about interests, and so it is hardly surprising that political actors turn out to be self-interested. What is notable about the Aboriginal Industry is its altruistic posture. Its members claim to be trying to ?work themselves out of a job,? while they pursue initiatives that ensure the continual need for their involvement in aboriginal policy. The atavistic programs and services they advocate as aiding ?self-determination? actually maintain native dependency and dysfunction, thereby justifying demands for increases in government funding. And while they may truly believe their intervention is beneficial, their interests tend to prevent them from examining inconvenient facts and theories that would reveal the destructive character of the initiatives they propose and implement. Their arguments supporting current aboriginal policies become a form of mystification, and everyone involved in the industry is inclined to support them because they are all benefiting from keeping the processes going. It is important to point out that there is a diversity of motivations within the Aboriginal Industry itself. First, there is the idealistic group, emotionally motivated by a sincere desire to help native people. Some uncritically accept that the best future for aboriginals is some level of return to the Rousseauian ideal, whereby they will live in some kind of mythic pre-contact Eden. Others simply support whatever aboriginal organizations demand because of the belief that this must be what aboriginal peoples ?want.? A second group can, for lack of a better term, be considered professionals. They are hired to promote the cause within the capacity of their discipline. Their role is to fill the demand for a predetermined purpose; they may teach, consult, supply professional services and so on. Their attitudes range from cynicism to disinterest. A third group often encompasses the attributes of the first two but is defined by the fact that its members are the initiators of the reactionary policies that maintain native people in the state of dependency that all three groups supply. They are the bureaucrats who instigate useless, money-gobbling policy programs, then quit the government and head the program. They are the linguists who promote unilingual native language teaching in elementary grades, then develop course materials and teach them, sentencing the children to a future of low academic achievement and the resulting social dysfunction. They are the anthropologists who encourage a backward spiritualism and mythology in which they themselves do not believe, but which keeps native people in a convenient state of passivity. And especially, they are the lawyers who collect enormous fees for conflicts they initiated, for agreements that require endless negotiations, for land claims settlements they use as retirement funds. Excerpted from Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry: The Deception Behind Indigenous Cultural Preservation, by Frances Widdowson and Albert Howard, published by McGill-Queen?s University Press, 2008. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090204/779c3144/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Fri Feb 6 08:42:25 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Fri Feb 6 08:46:11 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] FASD Finding Hope: Documentary B.C. Feb. 16, 17, 19 Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090206084206.03ca1238@ncf.ca> Julie Folland has emailed me about a new FASD documentary being shown on TV on the Knowledge Network, B.C.'s Public Educational Media Service under K: Social & Political Issues Feb. 16, Feb. 17, Feb. 19 [check times - on the link below are B.C. times. I see now that the channel is available to us in Ontario] She wrote on Feb. 5, 2009: "I am the birthmom of a nine year old girl and we along with 3 other families will be featured in an upcoming documentary FASD Finding Hope here in BC. The links below have the information about the documentary, the airdates and a 45 second preview (which has Linday & I in). http://tvschedule.knowledgenetwork.ca/knsch/KNSeriesPage.jsp?seriesID=15641222&seriesTitle=fasd:findinghope http://www.knowledgenetwork.ca/themes/clips/15641222_hi.html high speed http://www.knowledgenetwork.ca/themes/clips/15641222_lo.html dial up Please feel free to pass this information along to any who may be interested. I believe copies of the documentary will be made available from the Knowledge Channel once it has aired. I have started a website and am organizing a support group, for details see www.sos4fasd.org I would be glad to add any links you may want to share, to my resources page but I require an email with the details... For information: info@sos4fasd.org (it may show as sos4fasd@hotmail.com)." From rosse at ncf.ca Tue Feb 10 08:31:13 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Tue Feb 10 08:34:13 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Ontario rejects call for banning taser use on minors Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090210083104.04744eb0@ncf.ca> "...The girl, who has fetal alcohol syndrome, had been arrested for underage drinking..." http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090204.wtaserban0204/BNStory/National/ Globe & Mail National Ontario rejects call for banning taser use on minors The Canadian Press February 4, 2009 at 2:15 PM EST TORONTO ? The Ontario government is rejecting calls for a ban on the use of tasers on young people. Irwin Elman, the province's advocate for children, is calling for a moratorium on using stun guns on minors, except in extreme circumstances. His appeal follows reports that a teenage girl from a remote First Nation was apparently zapped with a taser in a jail cell last July. A lawsuit filed by her family alleges the teen, who was 14 at the time, was shocked after being told to stop picking at the paint in the holding facility in Sioux Lookout, Ont. Community Safety Minister Rick Bartolucci says he's heard from Mr. Elman but isn't prepared to act on his request. Mr. Bartolucci says police officers should be able to use all the tools in their arsenal when dealing with a dangerous situation. And he says age should not be a factor in deciding how to deal with an individual. ?That police officer should have all the tools necessary to ensure that he or she chooses a course of action that protects the individual, protects the public and protects the police officer ? regardless of age,? Mr. Bartolucci said. He also said the province is waiting on the results of a study into the use of tasers. ?I'm not going to make a knee-jerk reaction to any individual case,? Mr. Bartolucci said. ?I'm going to wait for the results of that study to come out and then we will determine whether or not there should be an expansion of the use of tasers or a reduction.? He said the study should be ready early this year. A statement of claim filed in court alleges two Ontario Provincial Police officers entered the girl's cell without warning, ?violently? pulled her to the floor and applied the taser to her right upper thigh for three to five seconds. None of the allegations have been proven in court. The girl, who has fetal alcohol syndrome, had been arrested for underage drinking, the family's lawyer said. The family says the incident was caught on tape. Mr. Elman said he's viewed the tape and calls the incident an example of ?usage creep? with tasers. The girl's family is suing the provincial police force for $500,000. They are also seeking an order that would prohibit the use of stun guns on minors except in cases where a life is clearly at risk. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090210/34887527/attachment.html From sheila.burns at rogers.com Tue Feb 10 14:28:36 2009 From: sheila.burns at rogers.com (Sheila Burns) Date: Thu Feb 12 09:04:16 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] FASD Networking Forum - Ontario Message-ID: <200902101927.n1AJRnU1011921@lists1.magma.ca> Skipped content of type multipart/alternative-------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Invitation to FASD Networking Forum.doc Type: application/msword Size: 209920 bytes Desc: not available Url : /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090210/f908867a/InvitationtoFASDNetworkingForum-0001.doc From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 12 10:44:49 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 12 10:53:10 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Allan Mountford Ont.FASD workshops Feb. 13 - May Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090211231338.03dcc980@ncf.ca> Feb. 12 [Received through FASlink Sorry the one on Feb. 11 is over See details at the end below For more information contact Allan Montford directly ER] ---------- From: mountfrd@allstream.net Subject: A Free Seminar in Whitby, Ontario, Canada, by Allan Mountford on Feb 11th. I am also doing a P.D. session for the board in the morning of Friday, February 13, 2009 at Donevan Collegiate. Teachers can sign up through ?PD Place? on the Board website. Although this for teachers only, parents can encourage their childrens? teachers to attend. However, I would love to see as many parents and professionals as possible at the Council for Exceptional Children presentation on the evening of February 11, 2009 at the Board office in Whitby. Here is a list of presentations I will be doing in the near future. Council for Exceptional Children, DDSB --February 11, 2009 Durham District School Board, P.D. Session ? February 13, 2009 School of Justice, Durham College/University of Ontario Institute of Technology ? February 18, 2009 Cape Croker First Nation ? February 25, 2009 Mnjikaning (Rama) First Nation ? March, 2009 Ontario Association of Students at Risk Conference, Toronto ? April 20, 21, 2009 Rainbow District School Board, Sudbury ? April 24, 2009 Simcoe County FASD Steering Committee/Helping Hands for FASD, Barrie ? May 11, 2009 Ahkwesahsne Mohawk Board of Education (Ahkwesahsne First Nation), Cornwall ? May, 2009 Durham Region Social Services, Whitby ? May, 2009 [From a parent] Subject: [FASlink] A Free Seminar in Whitby, Ontario, Canada, by Allan Mountford on Feb 11th. Hello all; We just received this flyer from our daughter?s school. The Council for Exceptional Children is presenting ?Cause it?s not my Fault- Understanding the Behaviour and Education of Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder? Speaker is Allan Mountford from the Durham District School Board Grove School Wed Feb 11. 7-9pm Free admission Please confirm attendance to Lynn MacLean Maclean_lynn@durham.edu.on.ca By Feb 6 Pass on to all teachers, parents, etc, who you think might be interested please. Margaret -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090212/93692f5e/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 12 11:45:04 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 12 11:53:02 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Allan Mountford workshops Oshawa Feb. 13 & 18, Wiarton, Toronto, Sudbury Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090212103451.03b1a3b0@ncf.ca> [Contact Allan Mountford directly for more information] From fasdnews Subject: A little more detail on Allan Mountford Presentations mountfrd@allstream.net writes: "Cause it's Not My Fault ? Understanding the Behaviour and Education of children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)" For parents, educators, professionals FREE ADMISSION Council for Exceptional Children, February 11, 2009 7 ? 9 p.m. Durham District School Board, 400 Taunton Road, East, Whitby, ON Room 2007 2. "Cause it's Not My Fault ? Understanding the Behaviour and Education of Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)". Durham District School Board, PD session for elementary and secondary teachers, administration, education assistants and psychological services staff. Feb. 13, 2009 8:30 - 11:00 a.m. Donevan Collegiate, Oshawa, Ontario. 3. "Don't Belong Here ? A look at Fetal Alcohol Speectrum Disorder (FASD) Through the Justice Process" This is a presentation for candidates in the Police Foundations program at Durham College. School of Justice, Durham College/University of Ontario Institute of Technology Oshawa, Ontario February 18, 2009 4. "Dont Belong Here ? A look at Fetal Alcohol Speectrum Disorder (FASD) Through the Justice Process". 3rd in a series of full-day workshops with Native service professionals and parents in the Bruce Peninsula/Owen Sound area. February 25, 2009 9:00 a.m. ? 4:00 p.m. Cape Croker First Nation, Wiarton, Ontario 5. "Cause it's Not My Fault ? Understanding the Behaviour and Education of Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)". For Youth Workers, Corrections Workers and Educators of children in Section 20 (care, custody and treatment) programs. Ontario Association of Students at Risk Conference, Toronto ? Apriil 21, 2009 9:00 a.m. ? 11:30 a.m. Airport Marriott Hotel, Airport Road, Toronto, Ontario 6. "Cause it's Not My Fault ? Understanding the Behaviour and Education of Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)". Rainbow District School Board, PD session for elementary and secondary teachers, administration, education assistants and psychological services staff. April 24, 2009 Rainbow District School Board, Sudbury, Ontario -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090212/b9cec477/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 12 14:05:20 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 12 14:10:13 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Retreat for Parents of People with FASD: Vancouver, B.C. April 18 Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090212135751.04c8e708@ncf.ca> Skipped content of type multipart/alternative-------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Retreat Pamphlet.doc Type: application/msword Size: 305152 bytes Desc: not available Url : /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090212/209c79bb/RetreatPamphlet-0001.doc -------------- next part -------------- From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 12 14:05:54 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 12 14:10:16 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Half of school suspensions related to marijuana: B.C. Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090212140544.01ea7050@ncf.ca> [not an FASD story - this must be High School I wonder if this is only true in the North? What would be the reasons for suspension elsewhere? in Ontario?] http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/39442344.html bclocalnews.com The Northern View Half of school suspensions related to marijuana By Shaun Thomas - The Northern View Published: February 11, 2009 10:00 AM Updated: February 11, 2009 1:40 PM During her report to the Prince Rupert School District Board of Education, assistant superintendent Leah Robinson provided a list of high school suspensions so far in the 2008/2009 school year ? A list dominated by students being suspended for the use of marijuana. Of the 52 suspensions handed down so far this year, 30 have been for marijuana use. Of those 30, 20 have involved Aboriginal students while 23 have involved male students. Under board policy, each suspension related to substance abuse requires a re-entry meeting involving the student, the parents, the principal and the assistant superintendent, with the final decision on re-entry being left to the assistant superintendent. Of the 30 suspensions for marijuana use, only four students have been denied re-entry into the school. ?We try to have a restorative approach. We come here and all get to talk about it Most of the time that is enough to get the student to stop,? said Robinson. ?We are actively engaged in helping our students to make better decisions.? A total of 72 per cent of the suspensions, which also include suspensions for fighting, behavior and alcohol, have involved male students, and Robinson noted that the data related to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal student suspensions is similar to the make-up of the district itself. ?It is an issue for all families, not just Aboriginal families It is an issue for all students in the district,? she said, noting that grade 10 has the highest number of suspensions of all the high school grades. According to Robinson, the data was broken out into Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students at the request of the Aboriginal Education Council. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090212/6ba6357d/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Mon Feb 16 09:51:58 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Mon Feb 16 09:53:07 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Documentary focuses on FASD Feb. 16 Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090215083738.01da6078@ncf.ca> [check times for Knowledge Network in your area on Feb. 16, 17, 19] "...FASD: Finding Hope airs on the Knowledge Network at 10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 16, and will be available to view online Feb. 17, 2009..." http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2005-2009/2009CFD0005-000180.htm British Columbia INFORMATION BULLETIN For Immediate Release 2009CFD0005-000180 Feb. 13, 2009 Ministry of Children and Family Development DOCUMENTARY FOCUSES ON FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDER VICTORIA ? A new documentary profiling the lives and experiences of four B.C. families raising children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will air Monday, Feb. 16 on the Knowledge Network. FASD is the most common form of preventable brain damage to infants in the western world. Health Canada estimates that for every 1,000 births, nine infants will be affected in some way by the disorder. It is not isolated to any specific demographic ? it touches all social classes and ethnic groups and exists in communities both large and small throughout British Columbia, Canada and the entire world. Created with the support of grant funding from the Ministry of Children and Family Development to PLEA Community Services, the documentary ? titled FASD: Finding Hope ? was directed by Susan Smitten and produced by the award-winning production company Force Four Entertainment of Vancouver. The film features interviews with doctors, psychologists, teachers and caregivers who are working toward a better understanding of FASD and how to best support children and youth with the disability. It also highlights a range of support services, including ministry and other programs that are providing hope for those living with the disorder. In 2003, B.C. became the first province in Canada to create a comprehensive strategic plan aimed at addressing FASD. In March 2008, the Ministry of Children and Family Development collaborated with eight other ministries to develop a new 10-year Provincial Plan ? Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Building on Strengths. The ministry?s budget for FASD support services has doubled from to $2.7 million in 2005/06 to $5.4 million in 2008/09. FASD: Finding Hope airs on the Knowledge Network at 10 p.m. Monday, Feb. 16, and will be available to view online Feb. 17, 2009, at www.knowledge.ca/findinghope. More information about FASD can be found on the ministry website at www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/fasd. -30- Media contact: Shae Greenfield Public Affairs Officer 250 356-2939 For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province?s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province?s website at www.gov.bc.ca. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090216/49872fe5/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Mon Feb 16 10:11:10 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Mon Feb 16 10:16:16 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Hamilton FASD fundraiser March 7 Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090210083554.04751d70@ncf.ca> From Barry Stanley 5150 Entertainment DJ Services Fundraiser for Hamilton FASD Family Support Group Renaissance Hall 2289 Barton St. East, Hamilton, Ontario, L8E 2W8 Saturday, March 7th., 2009 8.0 p.m. SARASIN BAREBACK RIDERS STEELCITY ROCKS GASLIGHT ALLEY and comedienne AMY SLOAN $10 in advance, $15 at the door details, call 905 912 4355 or e-mail ent5150@gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090216/6d68c02e/attachment.html From vsurbey at mts.net Mon Feb 16 09:36:06 2009 From: vsurbey at mts.net (Val) Date: Mon Feb 16 21:46:10 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Documentary focuses on FASD Feb. 16 References: <6.2.5.6.2.20090215083738.01da6078@ncf.ca> Message-ID: <885AACA237E8405E803842BFA7074308@valPC> Skipped content of type multipart/alternative-------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 234 bytes Desc: not available Url : /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090216/d54a49da/attachment.gif From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 19 16:11:58 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 19 16:16:18 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Training center to address FASD problems: Alaska Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090219160742.03c25c88@ncf.ca> http://www.adn.com/life/health/story/690956.html Anchorage Daily News Training center to address FASD problems By PETER PORCO Daily News correspondent Published: February 14th, 2009 06:51 PM Last Modified: February 14th, 2009 06:52 PM Cheri Scott of Anchorage and Jeanne Gerhardt-Cyrus of Kiana in Northwest Alaska never intended to become lay experts on the issue of children exposed to alcohol while in their mothers' wombs. But because each had adopted children born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, they came to see that the medical, psychological and educational systems in Alaska were unprepared to treat and educate their children. Last year, the two mothers joined almost 40 local experts in support of a new training program here aimed at care providers who have contact with families of children with FASD. They got behind a proposal from a research and health-service unit of the University of Alaska Anchorage that was seeking funds from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to start up the Arctic FASD Regional Training Center. The CDC awarded more than $1 million spread over three years to Behavioral Health Research and Services, the research center. Last fall the training center started up -- the fifth such center in the country and the first in Alaska. FASD is among the most disheartening diseases because it is preventable, caused by the mother's consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. (FASD is a term used officially in the U.S. and Canada only since 2004. It refers to any prenatal exposure to alcohol and encompasses a range of disorders including fetal alcohol syndrome, which is characterized by a specific set of abnormal facial features, smaller body size and problems in the central nervous system.) Alaska is a heavy-drinking state, and one of every four Alaskans dependent upon or abusing alcohol is a woman, according to statistics supplied by BHRS. One of every 25 women whose babies are born alive says she drank while pregnant. The training center will offer education and training suited to Alaska's geographically vast rural, frontier region and its culturally diverse population. One key aim is to help women stay sober if they're pregnant or might get pregnant. The trainers hope to teach psychologists, social workers, speech and language pathologists, substance abuse counselors and other providers how to talk to women of child-bearing age who are sexually active and drinking. These women need to know they could alcoholically poison the fetus before they even know they're pregnant. Beyond prevention, families, caregivers, educators and others should know how to reduce or eliminate secondary problems such as mental health issues, school absences, law breaking, inappropriate sexual behavior and substance abuse. For this to happen, the whole community must be educated, said Gerhardt-Cyrus, the mother from Kiana. For Gerhardt-Cyrus and her husband, raising FASD children in a village of 300 where no one knew about the disorder was frustrating. "I'm a former special-ed teacher," she said. "I taught severely and profoundly handicapped people, I worked with adults and youth. ... I have more knowledge than I would bet anyone else in this region, and if I can't get the services, how does anyone else have a prayer" The kinds of services Gerhardt-Cyrus says are sorely needed and that the new center will provide include education for substitute teachers, for example. A teacher with the right training, Gerhardt-Cyrus said, should know that if a child hides beneath the desk when a math lesson begins -- as her daughter did -- it may be because she fears math because of an inability to focus or adapt to that particular learning process. For Cheri Scott and her husband, who as foster parents accepted a severely disabled 5-month-old child with FAS into their home and later became his adoptive parents, the hope is that the training center will help people understand that a treatment plan, a life plan, is entirely possible for youngsters like her Justin. "Research shows that if you know about (FAS), you can ... support them, get them involved so you can amplify their strengths, get them to know they're not stupid, they can learn to advocate for themselves." Peter Porco writes for UAA and does an occasional article on research at the university for the Daily News. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090219/68f2c608/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 19 16:54:54 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 19 17:04:26 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] FASD reality is grim but not hopeless: Documentary Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090219165445.03d43dd8@ncf.ca> "...FASD: Finding Hope airs on [Knowledge Network] ...Thursday [Feb. 19] at 11 p.m. [B.C. time]" www.canada.com 16 Feb 2009 Times Colonist KATHERINE DEDYNA Times Colonist Kdedyna@tc.canwest FASD reality is grim but not hopeless Documentary focuses on heroism of families dealing with illness Victoria film director and mother Susan Smitten spent a year immersed in a world she once knew nothing about but one that affects many families in many ways ? that of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. ?The world of FASD is like this incredible onion ? there are so many layers,? she said of putting together FASD: Finding Hope, which airs tonight on the Knowledge Network. Smitten was ultimately inspired by chronicling the stories of those living with the most common form of preventable brain damage to infants ? one largely stigmatized as befalling only those born to drinking mothers who don?t care. ?I learned about love. I learned about ownership. I learned about commitment. I learned about dedication and I learned about heroism,? Smitten says of her time with families, professionals, experts and others involved with FASD. An estimated nine children of every 1,000 are affected in some way, according to Health Canada. Finding Hope follows the journeys of four B.C. families with FASD children ? including two from the Island. ?We not only hear from the parents, but also from some of the children about what it means to them to be FASD-affected and they provide some valuable insights about living with a brain injury,? she says. The documentary includes an up-Island woman who adopted three sisters, including an infant with the disorder and has managed to set up a school for six children with neurological disorders. Another Island family has adopted a 10-year-old boy with such serious FASD he will likely never live independently ? but everyone in the household pulls together to make their home as soothing and stabilizing for him as possible. Then there?s the ?everywoman? who was unaware she was pregnant until she was 18 weeks along and had made the round of summer parties. She now helps her nineyear-old daughter cope with a disorder for which ?there is no off-button,? Smitten says. In an uplifting turnabout, a woman who lived on the streets of Vancouver and gave birth to twin boys with the disorder is also featured in the film. The boys are now doing well and their mother has rebuilt her life to the point that she?s teaching the same course she attended to get off the streets. The film, funded by the B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development and produced by Force Four Entertainment of Vancouver, also highlights programs for those living with the disorder. Nine B.C. government ministries have collaborated on a 10-year plan to tackle FASD, and the province?s support services for FASD doubled in the last three years to $5.4 million, a news release notes. FASD: Finding Hope airs on Channel 4 tonight at 10 p.m., tomorrow at 2 a.m. and on Thursday at 11 p.m. It will be available for online viewing tomorrow at www.knowledge.ca/findinghope For more information about the disorder, visit: www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/fasd -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090219/014ed4a4/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Mon Feb 23 11:39:21 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Mon Feb 23 11:46:13 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Tax Break for FASD, and not just for kids Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090223113912.036a4030@ncf.ca> Feb. 23, 2009 I have just been reminded about Canadian Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSPs) and a March 2 deadline. Families affected by FASD should consider this for their taxes this year. See the information sent to me below. My accountant also sent something: "Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSPs) - a new Financial Security Regime for the Disabled A Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) is a trust arrangement between a holder and an issuer (a trust company in Canada). The purpose of such a plan is to provide for the long-term financial security of a beneficiary who has a prolonged and severe physical or mental impairment. The beneficiary must be eligible to receive the Disability Tax Credit (DTC). The contributions to this plan give rise to a federal credit called the Canada Disability Savings Grant (CDSG). Lower income families may qualify for payments from the Canada Disability Savings Bond Program without having to make a contribution to an RDSP. The 2008 deadline for opening an RDSP, making contributions, and gaining access to the CDSG is March 2, 2009......" From Elspeth Ross >Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:54:49 -0400 >From: Dale Ford >Subject: Tax Break for FASD, and not just for kids > >Hi Elspeth >This could be a great help for some parents with children (as long as they >are under 59 still) who are affected. I have forwarded Susan Kent's entire >message to me. She is a specialist in the disability tax credit. > >Susan's Message: > >Hi everyone > >Just a bit of IMPORTANT news for anyone you know who has a disability, and >who is qualified for the Revenue Canada Disability tax credit. Coming THIS >YEAR, (GET PREPARED) is a new disability savings program where the Federal >Government will match your contributions from 100% up to 300%!!. The amount >of contribution will be determined by income. But at the very least you can >see 100% matching!! > >This is HUGE. Also, the income from this plan in future years will not >affect EI benefits, CPP benefits, or other income based pensions ( more >details will come). This is huge because in later years, when these people >are relying on the disability social system, their incomes are often below >poverty level. This plan will allow them to supplement their incomes and not >have other pensions rolled back. Contributions can be made until the person >is 59!!!, so it is not just children > >Here are the details, we will receive info soon once Revenue Canada >implements this plan. Bt get prepared to contribute. There are not too many >places you can get up to 300% return on your investment. > >Below is an excerpt with details: > >Helping Parents Save to Ensure the Long-Term Financial Security of a Child >With a Severe Disability >An important consideration for parents and grandparents of a child with a >severe disability is how best to ensure that child's financial security when >they are no longer able to provide support. Budget 2006 announced that the >Minister of Finance would establish a small group of experts to examine this >issue and provide their advice. >In July 2006, the Minister of Finance appointed the Expert Panel on >Financial Security for Children with Severe Disabilities. The panel >submitted its report, A New Beginning, in December 2006. >Budget 2007 acts on the recommendations of the Panel by announcing the >introduction of a new registered disability savings plan (RDSP). The plan >will be available commencing in 2008 and will be based generally on the >existing registered education savings plan (RESP) design. An individual >eligible for the disability tax credit (DTC), their parent or other legal >representative, may establish an RDSP. The DTC-eligible individual will be >the plan beneficiary. The plan will consist of three elements: >1. Parents, beneficiaries and others wishing to save will be able to >contribute to an RDSP. Contributions to an RDSP for a beneficiary will be >limited to a lifetime maximum of $200,000. Contributions will be permitted >up until the end of the year in which a beneficiary attains 59 years of age. >2. Annual RDSP contributions will attract Canada Disability Savings Grants >(CDSGs) at matching rates of 100, 200 or 300 per cent, depending on family >income and the amount contributed, up to a maximum lifetime CDSG limit of >$70,000. The family income ranges and the corresponding matching rates on >annual contributions are set out in Table 3.4 below. An RDSP will be >eligible to receive CDSGs up until the end of the year in which the plan >beneficiary attains 49 years of age. >3. Canada Disability Savings Bonds (CDSBs) of up to $1,000 per year will be >provided to RDSPs established by low and modest-income families, up to a >maximum lifetime CDSB limit of $20,000, and will not be contingent on >contributions. The maximum annual $1,000 CDSB will be paid to an RDSP where >family net income does not exceed $20,883. The CDSB will be phased out >gradually for those with family net income between $20,883 and $37,178. >These income thresholds are for the 2007 taxation year and will be indexed >to inflation for 2008, when RDSPs become operational, and for subsequent >taxation years. An RDSP will be eligible to receive CDSBs up until the end >of the year in which the plan beneficiary attains 49 years of age. >Table 3.4 >Canada Disability Savings Grant (CDSG) >Matching Rates on Contributions > >Family Income1 ($) > >Up to 74,357 Over 74,357 > >300% on first $500 100% on first $1,000 >200% on next $1,000 > >1 Family income thresholds are in 2007 dollars. These income thresholds will >be indexed to inflation for 2008, when RDSPs become operational, and for >subsequent taxation years. >Contributions to an RDSP will not be deductible and will not be included in >income when paid out of an RDSP. The investment income earned in the plan >will accumulate tax-free. CDSGs, CDSBs and investment income earned in the >plan will be included in the beneficiary's income for tax purposes when paid >out of an RDSP. Only the plan beneficiary, or the beneficiary's legal >representative, will be permitted to receive payments from an RDSP. >More details on the main RDSP eligibility requirements and design features >are provided in Annex 5. >Assistance for Disability Savings [PARA]Table 3.5 shows the maximum amount >of annual federal assistance that will be available through CDSGs and CDSBs, >by family income level.[PARA]Table 3.5[NL]Maximum Annual CDSGs and CDSBs >[PARA] > Family Income1 ($) > > Up to 20,883 20,883-37,178 37,178-74,357 Over 74,357 > > ($) >CDSG matching rate > 300% 1,500 1,500 1,500 - > 200% 2,000 2,000 2,000 - > 100% - - - 1,000 >CDSB 1,000 5002 - - > >Total assistance 4,500 4,000 3,500 1,000 > >1 Family net income thresholds are in 2007 dollars. These income thresholds >will be indexed to inflation for 2008, when RDSPs become operational, and >for subsequent taxation years.[NL]2 Average amount of CDSB, assuming even >distribution of families over income range. >Table 3.6 shows, for a given annual contribution and family income, the >amount of RDSP assets that would accumulate after 25 years of saving and the >annual payment that an RDSP could provide at that time.[PARA]Table >3.6[NL]RDSP Savings and Payments [PARA] > Family Income of Parents ($) > > 20,000 40,000 80,000 > > ($) >Annual RDSP contribution 500 1,000 1,500 >RDSP assets1 (after 25 years) 130,000 170,000 170,000 >Annual RDSP payment2 (after 25 years) 5,500 7,000 7,000 > >1 Assuming an annual nominal rate of return of 5.6 per cent.[NL]2 Indexed >lifetime payment. >The estimates of RDSP savings and payments in Table 3.6 assume that parents >start making annual RDSP contributions when they are age 40 and their child >is age 10, for the next 25 years. Once the plan beneficiary is over age 18, >it is assumed that the beneficiary qualifies for the maximum CDSG matching >rates and the full CDSB based on his or her family income. RDSP savings >accumulate over the 25-year period and the beneficiary starts receiving an >indexed annual payment from the RDSP at age 35, when the parents are age 65 >and less able to support the beneficiary. >To ensure that RDSP payments do not reduce federal income-tested benefits, >amounts paid out of an RDSP will not be taken into account for the purpose >of calculating income-tested benefits delivered through the income tax >system, such as the Canada Child Tax Benefit and the goods and services tax >credit. In addition, amounts paid out of an RDSP will not reduce Old Age >Security or Employment Insurance benefits. >Provinces and territories provide income support for persons with >disabilities through means-tested programs. The Expert Panel noted that, for >the RDSP program to be effective, RDSP assets should not disqualify a plan >beneficiary from receiving provincial or territorial income support provided >to persons with disabilities. The Expert Panel also noted that payments from >the plan should supplement-not reduce-income support provided under these >programs at least until the level of income support plus RDSP payments >exceeds the Low Income Cut Off for the province or territory. >The Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, in collaboration >with the Minister of Finance, will work with the provinces and territories >to ensure that the RDSP is an effective savings vehicle to improve the >financial security and well-being of children with severe disabilities. >It is estimated that this measure will increase federal expenditures by $25 >million in 2007-08 and $115 million in 2008-09. > > >Susan Kent >Ottawa Tax Services >ph: 1-613-355-7470 >fax: 1-613-440-0325 >www.ottawataxservices.net >sue@ottawataxservices.net > > > >Regards, >Dale Ford > >Edu-Advocates >Ottawa, Ontario >613-769-8960 >http://www.eduadvocates.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090223/11ab4d75/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Wed Feb 25 08:38:05 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Wed Feb 25 08:40:14 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Binge drinking in pregnancy may raise risk of baby seizures: Denmark Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090225083755.033fce50@ncf.ca> www.canada.com 25 Feb 2009 The Gazette REUTERS Binge drinking in pregnancy may raise risk of baby seizures NEW YORK ? Women who binge drink during pregnancy could be increasing their children?s odds of suffering seizure disorders, researchers said. Yuelian Sun, of the University of Aarhus in Denmark, and his team found a nearly 1.4 fold increased risk in seizures among children whose mothers drank excessively when they were 11 to 16 weeks pregnant. But Sun said the long-term assessment suggests that ?women who drink low levels of alcohol during pregnancy had children with no increased risk of epilepsy.? In a study of 80,000 children followed up for eight years that was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, Sun and his team also reported a more than threefold increased risk of seizures occurring in the first 28 days of life among children of mothers who binged during the same time period. The study, which included 80,526 pregnant women in the Danish National Birth Cohort and their offspring born between 1996 and 2002, categorized binge drinking as five or more servings of beer, wine, or spirits in any one sitting. ?Animal studies have shown even short alcohol exposures during vulnerable time periods of prenatal brain growth can affect brain development,? Sun explained. This knowledge, combined with the known risk for fetal alcohol syndrome and epilepsy among children of mothers who drink a lot of alcohol throughout pregnancy, led Sun?s group to examine the association between seizure disorders in children and binge drinking during pregnancy. Reports from women of alcohol drinking during pregnancy showed nearly 45 per cent of them consumed at least half an alcoholic drink (equivalent to 73 millilitres of wine) each week, and 26 per cent reported at least one binge drinking episode while pregnant. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090225/c6f2c55e/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 26 10:00:08 2009 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 26 10:04:15 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Watch out for my tornado girl Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20090226095951.033aee60@ncf.ca> [Listen to this on your computer. It's great!] "...An alphabet soup list of diagnoses trails her out the door every morning ? SPD, ADHD, FASD..." http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090224.wpodfacts0224/BNStory/lifeMain/ Globe & Mail Toronto GlobeLife Facts & Arguments Podcast Watch out for my tornado girl She cannonballs into hot tubs and runs in front of cars. If we're lucky, we wear her out by bedtime PAULA SCHUCK From Tuesday's Globe and Mail February 24, 2009 at 12:00 AM EST Click here to download and listen to the podcast later (right-click and choose "save target as"). My four-year-old tornado girl literally hits the ground running every morning. It's a challenge, especially for us, her parents, who were perhaps a little older than some when she arrived in our home. Like many other children adopted from foster care, her prenatal circumstances were less than ideal. An alphabet soup list of diagnoses trails her out the door every morning ? SPD, ADHD, FASD, which stand for sensory processing disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. A whole list of words that basically mean her little brain functions differently than her sister's, differently than mine. In addition to her cascading chestnut curls and stunning big brown eyes, which always have a twinkle in them, my beautiful second child has a complete lack of impulse control. Ainsley runs everywhere, touches everything, sticks things in her mouth, jumps off tall platforms and runs in front of cars. She will even bolt out the front door if we don't keep it locked with multiple safety devices. No is a meaningless term that seldom sinks in before her hand can execute its action. If scissors are left out she cuts her hair. If knives are nearby she carries them around the house in a threatening manner. If the stove is left on she will touch it, not thinking, stunned when her hand comes back smarting from a burn. Her hands, her feet, always act before her mind can think it through. It's said that having a child is a little like watching your heart walk around outside your body. It's all of that and more. My heart is forever running away. I love both my children with a blinding intensity I never could have imagined or described in the days when I was childless. I have learned CPR and first aid to keep them safe. I agonize over which schools they will attend, pack nutritious snacks and would give either one a kidney if they needed it. I read the current research and subscribe to parenting magazines. I do my best to hold them close while surrounding them with opportunities to grow and shine. It's a life's work every day keeping Ainsley safe and giving her proper outlets for her athleticism, curiosity and energy. Some days we race from school to martial arts to the park for her to climb, swing or run, then on to swimming or skating lessons. No time left unstructured. Time without constrictions, lessons or a physical anchor equals chaos. If we are lucky we manage to wear her out before we collapse into bed ourselves. A parent at my daughter's school joked recently, "If Ainsley doesn't grow up to be a track star I will be very surprised." Me too, I think, and cross my fingers. Impulsive behaviour left unchecked, without focus or medications or, worse yet, without being recognized as such, just looks like bad behaviour. Badly behaved, misunderstood kids grow up to be misunderstood adults. And so we run all day every day, trying to outpace the vision of an imperfect future, trying to channel her impulses. There are precious moments. I'm a writer, by nature a homebody, given to long periods of introspection. My daughter takes me outside my head. I've become, by necessity, more physically fit than I was at 25. I skate and swim and play soccer. What's more I enjoy it. Impulsive behaviour brings new friends. My child has no fear, and so I meet strangers as she approaches them without guile, seeking them out, engaging in conversations that drag me outside my comfort zone. Some of these strangers have evolved into friends. A lovely lady at the drugstore lets my daughter help her stock shelves. Calls it her job, tells her she's a great helper. We live on a street where we seldom see our neighbours and yet, for no apparent reason, one day my daughter hugged an elderly neighbour and made her smile. No pet escapes her reach. And babies are tiny magnets drawing her in until she leans over and pats them on the head like a benediction. My funny, quirky girl straps on skates and runs across the ice. She dives headfirst into the pool at the YMCA or into the lake at the cottage, and has to be pulled out coughing when her lips start to turn purple. Ferris wheels and roller coasters ? she fights to ride them all. Picture a four-year-old cannonballing into an adults-only hot tub at a resort in Florida, just because we were walking past. Eyes bulging, sputtering panic as she swirled around and around in the whirlpool jets. A look I will never forget as I plucked her out. Ainsley has always surprised us with her intensity. She takes us places we have never been, and we follow ? sometimes because we have to and other times just to see where she will lead us next. Paula Schuck lives in London, Ont. Illustration by Neal Cresswell. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090226/029161ef/attachment.html From kpalmer at ccsa.ca Tue Feb 17 10:55:33 2009 From: kpalmer at ccsa.ca (Palmer, Karen) Date: Tue Mar 3 20:34:11 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] =?iso-8859-1?q?Launch_of_the_FASD_Organizat?= =?iso-8859-1?q?ions_database/Lancement_du_R=E9pertoire_des_organis?= =?iso-8859-1?q?mes_sur_l=27ETCAF?= Message-ID: <3B6BA6B8BD6A7343A1500DE2C3B555CE01A177C6@itunbe01.ITUN.NET> Skipped content of type multipart/alternative-------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 1876 bytes Desc: att3be8a.gif Url : /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090217/0d6273a9/attachment.gif From Marva.Smith at gov.mb.ca Mon Feb 23 17:31:29 2009 From: Marva.Smith at gov.mb.ca (Smith, Marva (JUS)) Date: Tue Mar 17 20:09:13 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Tax Break for FASD, and not just for kids In-Reply-To: <6.2.5.6.2.20090223113912.036a4030@ncf.ca> References: <6.2.5.6.2.20090223113912.036a4030@ncf.ca> Message-ID: <3E10ADB1C7ADC241BCAC7EECF9D32FC8034B9226@OC2EX01.ME.MBGOV.CA> Is anyone having success in getting ARND recognized for the Canada Disability Tax Credit? ________________________________ From: fasd_canadian_link-bounces@lists.von.ca [mailto:fasd_canadian_link-bounces@lists.von.ca] On Behalf Of Elspeth Ross Sent: Monday, February 23, 2009 10:39 AM To: fasd_canadian_link@lists.von.ca Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Tax Break for FASD, and not just for kids Feb. 23, 2009 I have just been reminded about Canadian Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSPs) and a March 2 deadline. Families affected by FASD should consider this for their taxes this year. See the information sent to me below. My accountant also sent something: "Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSPs) - a new Financial Security Regime for the Disabled A Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) is a trust arrangement between a holder and an issuer (a trust company in Canada). The purpose of such a plan is to provide for the long-term financial security of a beneficiary who has a prolonged and severe physical or mental impairment. The beneficiary must be eligible to receive the Disability Tax Credit (DTC). The contributions to this plan give rise to a federal credit called the Canada Disability Savings Grant (CDSG). Lower income families may qualify for payments from the Canada Disability Savings Bond Program without having to make a contribution to an RDSP. The 2008 deadline for opening an RDSP, making contributions, and gaining access to the CDSG is March 2, 2009......" >From Elspeth Ross Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:54:49 -0400 From: Dale Ford Subject: Tax Break for FASD, and not just for kids Hi Elspeth This could be a great help for some parents with children (as long as they are under 59 still) who are affected. I have forwarded Susan Kent's entire message to me. She is a specialist in the disability tax credit. Susan's Message: Hi everyone Just a bit of IMPORTANT news for anyone you know who has a disability, and who is qualified for the Revenue Canada Disability tax credit. Coming THIS YEAR, (GET PREPARED) is a new disability savings program where the Federal Government will match your contributions from 100% up to 300%!!. The amount of contribution will be determined by income. But at the very least you can see 100% matching!! This is HUGE. Also, the income from this plan in future years will not affect EI benefits, CPP benefits, or other income based pensions ( more details will come). This is huge because in later years, when these people are relying on the disability social system, their incomes are often below poverty level. This plan will allow them to supplement their incomes and not have other pensions rolled back. Contributions can be made until the person is 59!!!, so it is not just children Here are the details, we will receive info soon once Revenue Canada implements this plan. Bt get prepared to contribute. There are not too many places you can get up to 300% return on your investment. Below is an excerpt with details: Helping Parents Save to Ensure the Long-Term Financial Security of a Child With a Severe Disability An important consideration for parents and grandparents of a child with a severe disability is how best to ensure that child's financial security when they are no longer able to provide support. Budget 2006 announced that the Minister of Finance would establish a small group of experts to examine this issue and provide their advice. In July 2006, the Minister of Finance appointed the Expert Panel on Financial Security for Children with Severe Disabilities. The panel submitted its report, A New Beginning, in December 2006. Budget 2007 acts on the recommendations of the Panel by announcing the introduction of a new registered disability savings plan (RDSP). The plan will be available commencing in 2008 and will be based generally on the existing registered education savings plan (RESP) design. An individual eligible for the disability tax credit (DTC), their parent or other legal representative, may establish an RDSP. The DTC-eligible individual will be the plan beneficiary. The plan will consist of three elements: 1. Parents, beneficiaries and others wishing to save will be able to contribute to an RDSP. Contributions to an RDSP for a beneficiary will be limited to a lifetime maximum of $200,000. Contributions will be permitted up until the end of the year in which a beneficiary attains 59 years of age. 2. Annual RDSP contributions will attract Canada Disability Savings Grants (CDSGs) at matching rates of 100, 200 or 300 per cent, depending on family income and the amount contributed, up to a maximum lifetime CDSG limit of $70,000. The family income ranges and the corresponding matching rates on annual contributions are set out in Table 3.4 below. An RDSP will be eligible to receive CDSGs up until the end of the year in which the plan beneficiary attains 49 years of age. 3. Canada Disability Savings Bonds (CDSBs) of up to $1,000 per year will be provided to RDSPs established by low and modest-income families, up to a maximum lifetime CDSB limit of $20,000, and will not be contingent on contributions. The maximum annual $1,000 CDSB will be paid to an RDSP where family net income does not exceed $20,883. The CDSB will be phased out gradually for those with family net income between $20,883 and $37,178. These income thresholds are for the 2007 taxation year and will be indexed to inflation for 2008, when RDSPs become operational, and for subsequent taxation years. An RDSP will be eligible to receive CDSBs up until the end of the year in which the plan beneficiary attains 49 years of age. Table 3.4 Canada Disability Savings Grant (CDSG) Matching Rates on Contributions Family Income1 ($) Up to 74,357 Over 74,357 300% on first $500 100% on first $1,000 200% on next $1,000 1 Family income thresholds are in 2007 dollars. These income thresholds will be indexed to inflation for 2008, when RDSPs become operational, and for subsequent taxation years. Contributions to an RDSP will not be deductible and will not be included in income when paid out of an RDSP. The investment income earned in the plan will accumulate tax-free. CDSGs, CDSBs and investment income earned in the plan will be included in the beneficiary's income for tax purposes when paid out of an RDSP. Only the plan beneficiary, or the beneficiary's legal representative, will be permitted to receive payments from an RDSP. More details on the main RDSP eligibility requirements and design features are provided in Annex 5. Assistance for Disability Savings [PARA]Table 3.5 shows the maximum amount of annual federal assistance that will be available through CDSGs and CDSBs, by family income level.[PARA]Table 3.5[NL]Maximum Annual CDSGs and CDSBs [PARA] Family Income1 ($) Up to 20,883 20,883-37,178 37,178-74,357 Over 74,357 ($) CDSG matching rate 300% 1,500 1,500 1,500 - 200% 2,000 2,000 2,000 - 100% - - - 1,000 CDSB 1,000 5002 - - Total assistance 4,500 4,000 3,500 1,000 1 Family net income thresholds are in 2007 dollars. These income thresholds will be indexed to inflation for 2008, when RDSPs become operational, and for subsequent taxation years.[NL]2 Average amount of CDSB, assuming even distribution of families over income range. Table 3.6 shows, for a given annual contribution and family income, the amount of RDSP assets that would accumulate after 25 years of saving and the annual payment that an RDSP could provide at that time.[PARA]Table 3.6[NL]RDSP Savings and Payments [PARA] Family Income of Parents ($) 20,000 40,000 80,000 ($) Annual RDSP contribution 500 1,000 1,500 RDSP assets1 (after 25 years) 130,000 170,000 170,000 Annual RDSP payment2 (after 25 years) 5,500 7,000 7,000 1 Assuming an annual nominal rate of return of 5.6 per cent.[NL]2 Indexed lifetime payment. The estimates of RDSP savings and payments in Table 3.6 assume that parents start making annual RDSP contributions when they are age 40 and their child is age 10, for the next 25 years. Once the plan beneficiary is over age 18, it is assumed that the beneficiary qualifies for the maximum CDSG matching rates and the full CDSB based on his or her family income. RDSP savings accumulate over the 25-year period and the beneficiary starts receiving an indexed annual payment from the RDSP at age 35, when the parents are age 65 and less able to support the beneficiary. To ensure that RDSP payments do not reduce federal income-tested benefits, amounts paid out of an RDSP will not be taken into account for the purpose of calculating income-tested benefits delivered through the income tax system, such as the Canada Child Tax Benefit and the goods and services tax credit. In addition, amounts paid out of an RDSP will not reduce Old Age Security or Employment Insurance benefits. Provinces and territories provide income support for persons with disabilities through means-tested programs. The Expert Panel noted that, for the RDSP program to be effective, RDSP assets should not disqualify a plan beneficiary from receiving provincial or territorial income support provided to persons with disabilities. The Expert Panel also noted that payments from the plan should supplement-not reduce-income support provided under these programs at least until the level of income support plus RDSP payments exceeds the Low Income Cut Off for the province or territory. The Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, in collaboration with the Minister of Finance, will work with the provinces and territories to ensure that the RDSP is an effective savings vehicle to improve the financial security and well-being of children with severe disabilities. It is estimated that this measure will increase federal expenditures by $25 million in 2007-08 and $115 million in 2008-09. Susan Kent Ottawa Tax Services ph: 1-613-355-7470 fax: 1-613-440-0325 www.ottawataxservices.net sue@ottawataxservices.net Regards, Dale Ford Edu-Advocates Ottawa, Ontario 613-769-8960 http://www.eduadvocates.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090223/ce8316fa/attachment-0001.html From w.burgoyne at healthnexus.ca Thu Feb 26 14:03:56 2009 From: w.burgoyne at healthnexus.ca (Burgoyne, Wendy) Date: Tue Mar 17 20:09:18 2009 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] RE: April edition of FASD Ontario News Message-ID: <8586DB900AAEF24798E6BB1F19510253017CC759@sv004.OPC.ON.CA> This is a friendly reminder that the deadline for submissions for the April edition of FASD Ontario News is March 15, 2009. I look forward to hearing from you, Wendy _____________________________________________ From: Burgoyne, Wendy Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 3:32 PM To: fasd_canadian_link@lists.von.ca Subject: April edition of FASD Ontario News The next edition of FASD Ontario News will be released in early April, 2009. Submissions of photos and/or brief articles are welcome - see below for details. The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2009. Please note: All individuals in photos submitted to FASD Ontario News, must sign a release form (see below for the link to the release form). Can't be bothered with release forms? Send pictures that don't include people, for example, images of new resources, promotional materials, cakes, logos, banners, displays etc. FASD Ontario News is developed by FASD Stakeholders for Ontario to help people in Ontario work together to address FASD. This newsletter reports on the activities of FASD Stakeholders for Ontario and shares news of relevance to individuals, caregivers and service providers who work in the area of FASD across Ontario. The newsletter is available in both French and English. It is edited by the Best Start Resource Centre. Development of the newsletter is supported by funding provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Other submissions and content suggestions are also welcome. Examples include information about: -Ontario FASD workshops or conferences -National or international FASD conferences -New FASD resources -New FASD services in Ontario -Photos of recent FASD activities in Ontario (see Release Form) -Short articles about recent Ontario FASD initiatives, news or events (max length 200 words) Please contact me before sending writing and submitting an article, to ensure that there is space in the newsletter. Complete submission guidelines, the photo release form, information about the newsletter, and past editions are available at: http://www.beststart.org/projects/index.html Wendy Burgoyne Health Promotion Consultant Best Start: Ontario's Maternal, Newborn and Early Child Development Resource Centre Health Nexus Box 698, 96 Broadway Ave Wawa, ON, POS IKO Tel: 1-705-856-2997 or 1-800-397-9567 x2279 Fax: 1-705-856-1320 New Email: w.burgoyne@healthnexus.ca The Best Start Resource Centre Annual Conference is February 23-25, 2009 Register early at www.beststart.org/events/detail/bsannualconf09/index.htm _________________________ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20090226/7e0b7a93/attachment.html