From rosse at ncf.ca Mon Feb 1 17:00:23 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Mon Feb 1 17:04:15 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] FASD for Caregivers workshop Toronto March 25-26 Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100201170014.03b50250@ncf.ca> From Anne Kwok akwok@torontocas.ca Children's Aid Society of Toronto Child Welfare Institute Upcoming Workshop - FASD for Caregivers FASD for Caregivers by the Toronto FASD Leadership Team Dates: March 25 & 26, 2010 / 10:00am - 3:00pm both days Registration Deadline: March 4, 2010 Location: CCAS Scarborough Branch - 1880 Birchmount Rd, Scarborough, ON Workshop Description: There is strong evidence & consensus among families & professionals that individuals affected by prenatal alcohol exposure have unique needs at each stage of development. Caregivers need relevant & effective services to sustain the energy & skill set needed to 'hang in there' with these challenging individuals. Children, adolescents & adults with FASD have complex medical, psychological & social needs. They are difficult to provide stability for & existing resources are often not user friendly. This comprehensive workshop is designed to provide a useful framework for considering these issues. Trainers: Members from the Toronto FASD Leadership Team: Erin Sclisizzi (Catholic Children's Aid Society of Toronto) Susan Porritt (Children's Aid Society of Toronto) Vicki Goudy (Rosalie Hall) Cost: FREE OF CHARGE to Toronto FASD Leadership Team Agencies. $50.00 per person for Agencies not represented on the Toronto FASD Leadership Team. Please call if clarification is required. Includes handouts & refreshments Make cheques payable to: Children's Aid Society of Toronto *Note: "FASD for Caregivers" on cheque Registration by Mail Only: Children's Aid Society of Toronto | Child Welfare Institute | Attn: Anne Kwok 30 Isabella Street, 7th Floor | Toronto, ON M4Y 1N1 Inquiries: 416-924-4640 ext. 1-2780 / akwok@torontocas.ca Cancellation Policy A written notification via email, fax or mail must be received 30 days prior to the event to receive a full refund. Full registration fee less a 25% administration fee will be refunded if the written notification is received 10 business days prior to the event. Cancellation made less than 10 days prior to the event will not be refunded. Registrant may transfer his/her registration to another individual within the same agency with notification to the Child Welfare Institute as early as possible. The institute reserves the right to cancel this event due to under-enrolment, work stoppages, instructor illness or inclement weather. In the event of such cancellation, registrant will be offered a full refund or the choice of an alternate seminar date if applicable. We are not responsible for any airfares or hotel penalties that may incur due to cancellation. Registration by Mail Only (See attached file: FASD for Caregivers Flyer 25-26.03.10.pdf) [File not attached Registration Form asks for Name, Organization, Address, City, Province, Postal Code, Telephone, Fax, Email] The Fine Prints Registrations are first-come, first-served based on receipt of payment. One cheque can be issued for a group attending the same workshop. Please make cheques payable to Children's Aid Society of Toronto and mail along with registration forms to: Children's Aid Society of Toronto Child Welfare Institute Attn: Anne Kwok 30 Isabella Street, 7th Floor Toronto, ON M4Y 1N1 If you do not see confirmation two weeks after payment has been sent, please drop me an email to check on your registration status. Due to fire regulations & room capacity, drop-ins will not be accepted. Regards, Anne Kwok Sr. Administrative Assistant Children's Aid Society of Toronto | Child Welfare Institute 30 Isabella Street | 7th Floor | Toronto | Ontario | M4Y 1N1 T: 416-924-4640 / 1-866-527-0833 x 2780 | F: 416-324-2324 www.childwelfareinstitute.torontocas.ca | www.cwitraining.torontocas.ca (See attached file: FASD for Caregivers Flyer 25-26.03.10.pdf) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100201/af45819a/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Mon Feb 1 17:14:12 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Mon Feb 1 17:16:19 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Motor-skill activities hold promise of rewiring children's damaged brains [FASD] Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100201170412.03b504e0@ncf.ca> Skipped content of type multipart/related-------------- next part -------------- From rosse at ncf.ca Mon Feb 1 20:07:37 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Mon Feb 1 20:10:14 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Neural processing differences in ADHD in individuals with and without prenatal alcohol exposure Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100201200303.034cfef8@ncf.ca> http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-01/ace-npd012010.php EurekAlert! Public release date: 27-Jan-2010 Contact: Joseph Jacobson, Ph.D. joseph.jacobson@wayne.edu 248-646-5488 Wayne State University School of Medicine Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research Neural processing differences in ADHD in individuals with and without prenatal alcohol exposure The adverse effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on behavioral, cognitive, and social development can lead to a range of symptoms referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Attention and cognition problems seen in individuals with a history of prenatal alcohol exposure often resemble those linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). An assessment of these disorders has found that while children with FASD may meet the behavioral criteria for ADHD, their attention difficulties differ in subtle but important respects. Results will be published in the April 2010 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View. "ADHD is clinically diagnosed primarily on the basis of observations by the parent, teacher, and clinician regarding the degree to which a child exhibits specific behavioral symptoms, such as difficulty sustaining attention to and completing tasks or play activities, failure to listen when spoken to directly, impulsivity, talking out of turn, or difficulty sitting still," explained Joseph Jacobson, professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine and the study's corresponding author. "A large proportion of children with a history of prenatal alcohol exposure exhibits these behavioral characteristics and, therefore, may meet the criteria for a diagnosis of ADHD." Jacobson and his colleagues examined event-related potentials (ERPs), which reflect changes in the brain's electrical activity in response to a particular stimulus or condition, in 102 (54 women, 48 men) 19-year-olds. All of the young adults performed a Go/No-go task, which requires the participant to attend and respond selectively to non-target stimuli (Go) and inhibit responses to a target stimulus (No-go). Jacobson explained how the Go/No-go task was used in this study. "The participant is instructed to press a button whenever a letter appears on the screen except when the letter X appears," he said. "The participant gets into the routine of pressing the button as the letters appear on the screen. Once the rhythm of button pressing is established, individuals with ADHD find it more difficult to inhibit or hold back their impulse to press the button when the X appears and make more errors on the task regardless of whether or not they were exposed prenatally to alcohol." While participants with childhood ADHD, regardless of their prenatal alcohol exposure, were less accurate at inhibiting responses, only the ADHD group without prenatal alcohol exposure showed a unique ERP brain wave pattern, which may reflect a more effortful strategy related to inhibitory control. "This difference was seen in the P3 ERP brain wave component, which has been found in other studies to reflect the mental effort or heightened attention exerted in performing a task; thus, the more difficult or cognitively challenging the task, the larger the P3 brain wave," said Jacobson. "The typical response, which was seen both in the young adults with prenatal alcohol exposure and in the normal controls, is a larger P3 brain wave only in the more challenging No-go condition. We found that the young adults in the idiopathic ADHD group (i.e., those without prenatal alcohol exposure) showed a larger P3 wave during both types of trials ? those where they had to inhibit the button press and those where they did not have to inhibit, which suggests that they found the whole task more difficult and were unable to develop the type of automatic strategy for inhibiting responses that would be expected at this age." Jacobson added that this study is the first to use ERPs to compare neurophysiological function during a cognitive task with these two groups. "The data support the notion that information processing difficulties in children with prenatal alcohol exposure who exhibit ADHD symptoms may differ from those seen in children with idiopathic ADHD, even though behaviorally both groups may exhibit inattention and hyperactivity," he said. "The ERP data suggest that different neurophysiological processes may be responsible for the attention problems seen in these two groups, which may explain why psychostimulant medication, which is often effective in treating idiopathic ADHD, is reported to be less effective in children with ADHD behavioral symptoms who were prenatally exposed to alcohol." In summary, he said, this study provides improved understanding of the differences in neurophysiological processing responsible for the behavioral symptoms in these two different groups, which may in turn, provide important clues regarding new treatments that may be more effective for treating ADHD symptoms in children with prenatal alcohol exposure. ### Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research (ACER) is the official journal of the Research Society on Alcoholism and the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism. Co-authors of the ACER paper, "An Event-Related Potential Study of Response Inhibition in ADHD with and without Prenatal Alcohol Exposure," were: Matthew J. Burden, Leslie H. Lundahl, Audrey Morrison, Neil C. Dodge, and Sandra W. Jacobson of Wayne State University School of Medicine; Alissa Westerlund and Charles A. Nelson of the Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School; Rafael Klorman of the University of Rochester; and Malcolm J. Avison of Vanderbilt University. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Children's Bridge Fund/Wayne State University; and the Joseph Young, Sr. Fund/State of Michigan. This release is supported by the Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network at http://www.ATTCnetwork.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100201/99f237fb/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Mon Feb 1 20:15:21 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Mon Feb 1 20:16:13 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Government of Canada invests in research to help prevent violence Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100201201514.03b885c0@ncf.ca> http://www.cnwgroup.ca/en/releases/archive/January2010/28/c4339.html CNW Group Canadian Institutes of Health Research Government of Canada invests in research to help prevent violence OTTAWA, Jan. 28 /CNW Telbec/ - Three new regional research centres that will study violence and ways to prevent it will receive almost $6 million over five years from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, made the announcement today at a national roundtable that brought together leading Canadian researchers on violence, gender and health research. "Violence is a major public health and human rights problem in Canada and around the world," said Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq. "By funding these innovative research centres, we hope to make strides in eliminating violence in our society and help Canadians overcome the devastating effects of violence on physical and mental health." The centres were selected through a funding competition run by CIHR's Institute of Gender and Health (IGH). The successful projects were approved through a rigorous, independent peer review process. "We are proud to invest in health research directed at developing solutions to violence, particularly gender-based violence," said Dr. Joy Johnson, IGH Scientific Director. "It is imperative that we develop prevention strategies that can break ongoing cycles of violence and poor health among Canadians." The three centres announced today are: - Centre for Intercultural Research on Prevention of Gender Violence: Dr. Neil Andersson of the University of Ottawa and his team of researchers will focus on migrating minorities through a novel approach that links Aboriginal and immigrant groups in cities with their home communities. They will look at the positive roles of parenting and cultural origins can play in preventing violence. - Centre for Research Development in Gender, Mental Health and Violence Across the Lifespan: Dr. Harriet MacMillan of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and her team will work closely with knowledge users and community members to develop strategies to prevent or reduce child maltreatment, intimate partner violence and subsequent mental health problems. - Centre for the Study of Gender, Social Inequities and Mental Health: Dr. Marina Morrow at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, and her team will use innovative research, knowledge exchange, and training activities to improve our understanding of why social disparities exist, and how they contribute to problems such as violence and addiction. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health-care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 13,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada. www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca Ce document est ?galement disponible en fran?ais. For further information: Media Inquiries, Jos?e Bellemare, Press Secretary to the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, (613) 957-0200; David Coulombe, CIHR Media Relations, Telephone: (613) 941-4563, Cell: (613) 808-7526 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100201/1d88af7a/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Tue Feb 2 11:24:15 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Tue Feb 2 11:28:11 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Ontario: NorWest CHCs spearheads innovations to address FASD Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100202112406.03aa5300@ncf.ca> http://www.aohc.org/ Click on synergy newsletter Latest Issue ohc acso Policy, Advocacy and News Digest of the Association of Ontario Health Centres synergy January 2010 NorWest CHCs spearheads innovations to address Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder Ontario's Community Health Centres are excellent incubators for new ideas that respond to needs identifi ed by community members. NorWest Community Health Centres in Thunder Bay is no exception. What began eight years ago as a call from community members to respond to the high prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FASD) has evolved into a highly effective multi-sectoral approach. A number of strategies drive its success: a close partnership with St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, close collaborations with other communitybased agencies as well as a strong commitment to continuously improve the community's capacity to address the needs of people dealing with the disorder. The program started back in 2001 when NorWest responded to requests by community members to assist with the development of an FASD coalition, to write a funding proposal, and to act as an incubator for awareness, training and support. Initially the NorWest FASD program focused on raising public awareness about the importance of not drinking during pregnancy, referring for diagnostics, and supporting families of individuals with FASD. After several years of referring clients to the FASD Clinic at St. Michael's Hospital, and as part of a pilot project, a nurse practitioner and the FASD coordinator at the Centre were trained to do facial measurements. In March 2007, St. Michael's began holding monthly half day diagnostic clinics via Telemedicine with NorWest's Thunder Bay site. Five to six clients are seen at each clinic. What used to involve several months and long distance travel can now be done locally in a shorter period of time. NorWest is currently developing local diagnostic ability via specialised training for two physicians, two nurse practitioners, the coordinator from the Centre, and a clinical psychologist from a hospital in Thunder Bay, with the eventual establishment of a local FASD diagnostic clinic. The FASD diagnosis provides a blueprint for early intervention. The treatment plan refl ects the unique needs of the individual and the family, and involves support services. NorWest has offered four days of FASD training to more than 60 service providers to increase local capacity for support to families affected by FASD. This will continue to be a crucial part of the Centre's work. "The clients and their families have renewed hope that their lives potentially will improve," says Maureen Parkes, FASD Coordinator. By working with St. Michael's NorWest is also playing another important role. "St. Michael's is well recognised in FASD diagnostics and research," says Maureen Parkes. "By working with them we are helping to set a high standard for diagnosis." The centre also provides many other supports to people dealing with FASD including an 8-week FASD Parenting Program that is mounted several times per year as well as a regular community kitchen for youth diagnosed with FASD. For more information, please contact Anita Jean at ajean@norwestchc.org or (807) 626-8480. [Photo] Anita Jean and Tannice Fletcher-Stackhouse from NorWest CHC provided information on the Centre's FASD program at Health Expo this past November. (See next story) Strong Showing of AOHO members at Health Expo Save the date for 2010's event In mid-November, the team from NorWest Community Health Centres' Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Program (described in the previous story) were amongst the seven member centres who competed at the Celebrating Innovations in Health Care Expo. This time the Ministry of Health's annual event was mounted on the closing day of HealthAchieve, the Ontario Hospital Association's annual conference held in Toronto. Over 230 exhibitors from a wide range of health agencies participated in the event. Last year in 2008 NorWest Community Health Centres was the recipient of an award. Although AOHC members were not in the winner's circle at the 2009 function, Country Roads Executive Director Marsha Stephen reports that attendance was well worth the effort. "There were a number of benefits. First, we got to learn a lot about a wide range of innovations. Secondly we got a lot of encouragement for the program we were presenting. Finally, we had the opportunity to network and gather feedback from many people outside our sector, with hospitals and other institutions, with LHIN representatives, and government offi cials," she said. Marsha Stephen attended the Expo exhibiting a program that involves a collaboration between four CHCs in the South East LHIN: Country Roads, Gateway, Kingston and Merrickville District/Smith Falls. The collaboration is designed to improve chronic disease prevention and management services focusing on service integration, quality improvement and operational efficiencies. Details for the expo taking place in November 2010 are not yet posted on the Ministry of Health's website. If you are interested in exhibiting, check for details in a few months' time. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100202/01241c9a/attachment-0001.html From rosse at ncf.ca Tue Feb 2 13:43:40 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Tue Feb 2 13:46:11 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] FASD workshop Mississauga Peel Feb. 18 Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100202134331.020fb158@ncf.ca> Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) A Workshop for Parents, Foster Parents and Caregivers Are you parenting a child with FASD? Would you like to discuss strategies to support your child? Would you like to meet others who may be experiencing similar issues? Come share your parenting challenges and joys! Date: Thursday, February 18, 2010 Time: 7:00 ? 9:00 p.m. Cost: $10.00 Location: Child Development Resource Connection Peel, 75 Watline Avenue, Unit 103, Mississauga Telephone: 905-507-9360 Presented by: Cheryl Neave, Peel FASD Coordinator From rosse at ncf.ca Tue Feb 2 14:33:14 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Tue Feb 2 14:34:13 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Building from strengths: FASD Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100202143302.03abcbb8@ncf.ca> [About the article (posted by me yesterday Feb. 1) in the Globe & Mail on Jan. 29 by Anne McIlroy "Motor-skill activities hold promise of rewiring children's damaged brains" Another version of the same article had the title "How playing Dance Dance Revolution could repair children's damaged brain"] Here is a great Editorial in the Globe & Mail, which rarely includes FASD] http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/building-from-strengths/article1452771/ Globe & Mail Editorial Building from strengths From Tuesday's Globe and Mail Published on Tuesday, Feb. 02, 2010 12:00AM EST Last updated on Tuesday, Feb. 02, 2010 3:26AM EST When science brings hope to a group that has precious little to hope for, it's worth pausing to take note. Children who suffer from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder may one day be able to make some repairs to their damaged brains, Canadian brain scientists say. How? Through play that restores some of the white matter that forms the brain's connective tissue. Refreshingly, scientists such as Chris Bertram, at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, B.C., focus not on the children's weaknesses, such as anger control, but their strengths, particularly in fine motor skills. "All are good at something," The Globe's Anne McIlroy reports, and whether that is using a pair of tweezers to grasp tiny plastic bones in the game Operation, or playing the video game Dance Dance Revolution, they can by enhancing those strengths also improve their abilities in other areas, such as paying attention or controlling their impulses. Dr. Bertram calls this technique transfer of learning. What can reasonably be expected to come out of this? Not a healed brain, but - with patience and perhaps luck - a reduction in the problems that are so rife among FASD children, of dropping out of school, abusing drugs and alcohol, breaking the law and mental illness. The secondary problems associated with FASD would be lessened. Alongside the advances in learning, drug treatments may one day be available to improve the thinking skills of those with FASD. The Canadian government is giving $19.5-million over five years to NeuroDevNet, a new national centre of excellence, for research focusing on FASD, autism spectrum disorder and cerebral palsy. Commendably, Canada is moving to the forefront of research that holds promise for many children. Fetal alcohol syndrome was given its name in 1970; hope has taken four decades to arrive. FASD, the name given to a wide range of alcohol-related defects, is most common among Canada's native peoples, and is part of the reason why natives are so grossly overrepresented in provincial and federal jails. An estimated 300,000 people in Canada suffer from FASD, and 3,000 Canadian babies are born each year with it. As adults, they tend to fall through the cracks of support systems. For children's play to reverse at least some of the seemingly irreversible effects of fetal alcohol damage is a powerful endorsement of a time-honoured feature of childhood. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100202/544a94af/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 4 13:49:44 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 4 13:54:01 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] New book suggests Anne of Green Gables was victim of pre-natal drinking (2 articles) Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100204134935.03f0eb50@ncf.ca> [From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Anne of Green Gables is a bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery published in 1908. It was written as fiction for readers of all ages, but in recent decades has been considered a children's book.... Since publication, Anne of Green Gables has sold more than 50 million books. In addition, this book is taught to students around the world.] New book suggests Anne of Green Gables was victim of pre-natal drinking Anonymous. National Post. Don Mills, Ont.: Jan 22, 2010. pg. A.5 In a testament to the enduring impact of Anne of Green Gables on the Canadian imagination, a new book will explore such themes as "how the novel can be used as a tool to counteract depression" and "the possibility that Anne suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome." The collection of essays, co-edited by Ryerson University professor Irene Gammel -- Canada research chair in modern literature and culture -- follows a revival of interest in the Anne Shirley phenomenon with the 100th anniversary of the 1908 publication of the landmark work by Lucy Maud Montgomery, pictured. In Anne's World: A New Century of Anne of Green Gables new essays offer "fresh and timely approaches to issues of culture, identity, health and globalization." Contributions suggest Anne was a victim of pre-natal drinking by her biological mother. Credit: Canwest News Service [Illustration] Color Photo: /; Caption: New book highlights enduring impact of Montgomery classic Randy Boswell. The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ont.: Jan 22, 2010. pg. A.4 In a testament to the enduring impact of Anne of Green Gables on the Canadian imagination, a new book about the literary icon will explore themes such as "how the novel can be used as a tool to counteract depression" and "the possibility that Anne suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome." The scholarly collection of essays, co-edited by Ryerson University professor Irene Gammel -- Canada research chair in modern literature and culture -- follows a recent revival of interest in the Anne Shirley phenomenon with the 100th anniversary of the 1908 publication of author Lucy Maud Montgomery's landmark work. In Anne's World: A New Century of Anne of Green Gables, to be published this year by University of Toronto Press, contributors probe the "global industry" in Anne tourism, the multitude of film, television and stage productions inspired by the story, and the "timeless and ongoing appeal of L.M. Montgomery's writing" nearly 70 years after her 1942 suicide by a drug overdose at age 67. A spokesperson for University of Toronto Press said details about the book -- scheduled to be released in June -- would not be disclosed until closer to the publication date. But a catalogue description of Anne's World notes that "the international appeal of the red-haired orphan has not diminished over the past century, and the cultural meanings of her story continue to grow and change." The new essays are said to offer "fresh and timely approaches to issues of culture, identity, health and globalization." And contributions suggesting Anne was a victim of pre-natal drinking by her biological mother in Nova Scotia -- prior to the orphaned child's adoption by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert at their Green Gables farm in fictional Avonlea, P.E.I. -- or that her story might be employed to combat mental illness, are certain to attract attention. Credit: Randy Boswell; Canwest News Service [Illustration] Photo:; Caption: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100204/06cbda28/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 4 14:07:14 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 4 20:56:26 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Prenatal exposure to alcohol dulls the pain response in babies Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100204140322.03b9f258@ncf.ca> [Also published in the National Post with the title Boozing mothers affect babies' response to pain: Study] http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Boozing+mothers+affect+babies+response+pain+Study/2514656/story.html The Vancouver Sun Health Prenatal exposure to alcohol dulls the pain response in babies, according to a new study from the University of British Columbia. By Pamela Fayerman, Vancouver Sun February 2, 2010 7:02 PM VANCOUVER ? Prenatal exposure to alcohol dulls the pain response inn babies, according to a new study from the University of British Columbia. The research, which will be published in the April issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, showed that even healthy babies whose mothers drank while they were pregnant were affected by the alcohol. The tests were done in a region of South Africa where 11 per cent of children have fetal alcohol syndrome ? compared to the Canadian rate of 00.9 per cent. UBC pediatrics professor Dr. Tim Oberlander and co-researchers from B.C., Michigan and South Africa determined the pain response by pricking the babies' heels and squeezing to collect drops of blood ? standard screeniing tests for metabolic diseases including hypothyroidism. Infants whose mothers consumed at least 14 drinks per week while pregnant or had been binge drinking before delivery did not react to the pain the way babies born to a control group of non-drinking moms did. The researchers catalogued the babies' heart rate, facial grimacing and other measures of pain. "This study is the first to document a relationship between prenatal alcohol exposure and biobehavioural responses to a noxious event in human newborns," the researchers said in a statement. They added that how the infants react to pain may put them at a risk for problems later in life. Previously studies have shown that as adults, people with fetal alcohol syndrome have increased anxiety, depression and aggression and altered responses to stress. Yet as infants, as shown by the current study, they have a dulled response. The $40,000 study was funded by the UBC Child and Family Research Institute, Wayne State University and the state of Michigan. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100204/39fa239f/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 4 14:11:11 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 4 21:07:10 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Re: Prenatal exposure to alcohol dulls the pain response in babies Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100204140756.03ff4658@ncf.ca> Not National Post, but Montreal Gazette; article also in Times Colonist & Leader Post] >Date: Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:07:14 -0500 >To: fasd_canadian_link@lists.von.ca >From: Elspeth Ross >Subject: Prenatal exposure to alcohol dulls the pain response in babies > > [Also published in the National Post with the title > Boozing mothers affect babies' response to pain: Study] > >http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Boozing+mothers+affect+babies+response+pain+Study/2514656/story.html >The Vancouver Sun >Health > >Prenatal exposure to alcohol dulls the pain >response in babies, according to a new study >from the University of British Columbia. >By Pamela Fayerman, Vancouver Sun February 2, 2010 7:02 PM > >VANCOUVER ? Prenatal exposure to alcohol dulls >the pain response inn babies, according to a new >study from the University of British Columbia. > >The research, which will be published in the >April issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical >and Experimental Research, showed that even >healthy babies whose mothers drank while they >were pregnant were affected by the alcohol. > >The tests were done in a region of South Africa >where 11 per cent of children have fetal alcohol >syndrome ? compared to the Canadian rate of 00.9 per cent. > >UBC pediatrics professor Dr. Tim Oberlander and >co-researchers from B.C., Michigan and South >Africa determined the pain response by pricking >the babies' heels and squeezing to collect drops >of blood ? standard screeniing tests for >metabolic diseases including hypothyroidism. > >Infants whose mothers consumed at least 14 >drinks per week while pregnant or had been binge >drinking before delivery did not react to the >pain the way babies born to a control group of non-drinking moms did. > >The researchers catalogued the babies' heart >rate, facial grimacing and other measures of pain. > >"This study is the first to document a >relationship between prenatal alcohol exposure >and biobehavioural responses to a noxious event >in human newborns," the researchers said in a >statement. They added that how the infants react >to pain may put them at a risk for problems later in life. > >Previously studies have shown that as adults, >people with fetal alcohol syndrome have >increased anxiety, depression and aggression and >altered responses to stress. Yet as infants, as >shown by the current study, they have a dulled response. > >The $40,000 study was funded by the UBC Child >and Family Research Institute, Wayne State >University and the state of Michigan. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100204/dfca0ca4/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 11 11:36:05 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 11 11:40:14 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Adolescents and Adults with FASD; Vancouver conference April 14-17 Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100211112755.03b6a3b0@ncf.ca> Skipped content of type multipart/related-------------- next part -------------- From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 11 12:55:03 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 11 13:04:14 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Ont. Government Want to Make Schools Safer, More Positive Places To Learn Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100211125427.0414a3b8@ncf.ca> [From a local newspaper in Rockland "Le Journal des Mousequtaires" on Feb. 4, 2010 It must be in local papers all over Ontario Ontario Bill 157 came into effect Feb. 1 Too bad we didn't speak up earlier on the implications for children with FASD. This new legislation may make things harder for kids with behavioural issues. What will happen to children who get suspended, expelled, or excluded? Where are the programs for them? We should ask these questions. In Ottawa there are Parent Information Meetings on changes to Safe School Legislation tonight Feb. 11 & March 24 put on by the Social Planning Council of Ottawa & Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre. The French one is over. There must be meetings around the province.] from Elspeth Ross, parenting an 11 year-old with special needs Government Want to Make Schools Safer, More Positive Places To Learn Ontario is the first province in Canada to require school staff to report serious student incidents to the principal and require principals to contact the parents of victims. These requirements are part of the Keeping Our Kids Safe at School Act, passed in the legislature. This new legislation makes schools safer and helps more students reach their full potential by: ? Addressing reporting gaps between principals, teachers and parents about serious student incidents -- including bullying -- that could lead to suspension or expulsion. ? Ensuring that parents are kept informed and principals are aware of serious incidents in the school so they can respond appropriately. ? Requiring school staff to respond to inappropriate, disrespectful behaviour among students. The legislation builds on Ontario?s safe schools strategy and is part of a comprehensive response to the recent Safe Schools Action Team report. The law becomes effective as of February 1st, 2010. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100211/b4273a84/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Mon Feb 15 14:05:41 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Mon Feb 15 14:10:12 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] A law to sterilize repeat FAS mothers? Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100215140533.03dc4ab8@ncf.ca> A law to sterilize repeat FAS mothers? Anonymous. Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg, Man.: Feb 12, 2010. pg. A.23 Harm to innocent fetus, society simply an inexcusable burden Destroying yourself with alcohol is one thing. Destroying an innocent fetus by excessive use of alcohol is maternal madness. Yet every year alcohol-riddled babies are born in this country suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation and birth defects in North America. In 1976, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported a study of 41 infants born with FAS, having both physical and mental defects. Since that time, studies show that nine in every 1,000 babies born in this country have some form of FAS. One in three will have the severe form with wide-set eyes, thin upper lips, low birth weight and small head circumference. We now know FAS occurs in about one-third to one-half of infants whose mothers consume six or more alcoholic drinks a day during pregnancy. A report from Harvard claims the risk drops to 10 per cent with three drinks a day. And that five ounces of absolute alcohol a day, or binge drinking, can cause this medical and social disaster. Many pregnant women don't realize when they consume alcohol the fetus also consumes it. Moreover, there's a huge difference between alcohol in the mother's body and that of the fetus. Pregnant women have a well-functioning mature liver that helps to detoxify alcohol in the blood. A developing fetus does not have this metabolic safeguard. This means when alcohol crosses the placental barrier, the fetus is poorly equipped to handle it and is subjected to a higher concentration of alcohol for a longer period of time. This spells disaster for the developing brain. Kent Roach, law professor at the University of Toronto, recently reported brain-damaged children are more likely to end up in court. He also believes that these children are more likely to be unfairly treated in the criminal justice system. And he questions whether judges should consider FAS children unfit for trial. I am not a lawyer and have no way of knowing how unfairly FAS children may be treated in a court of law. But I do know that once some pregnant women start consuming a bottle of whiskey every day, their babies enter this world with more than three strikes against them. And unlike some medical problems, there is no way to heal their damaged, ill-formed brains. So a drunken mother passes along not only more court appearances, but a host of mental and physical problems that last a lifetime. One does not need much imagination to speculate on what this tragedy costs the child and society. According to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, this country spends $4 billion annually on FAS children. In the province of Alberta alone, there are 8,000 children with FAS being cared for by social services with the lifetime cost for each child over $1 million. The 10th Special Report to the U.S. Congress estimated the annual cost to care for FAS children was in the billions. And each year in the U.S., another 40,000 children are born with this disease. What is equally appalling is that obstetrical contacts tell me some women bring not one but several FAS children into this world. Why this is allowed to happen boggles my mind and I hope yours. Kent Roach is no doubt right that these children receive questionable justice in a court of law. I would add that FAS children receive no justice while in the womb. No law can incarcerate pregnant women to prevent their daily binges. Nor is there any law that will stop them from having additional FAS children. To me, good sense dictates that women who repeatedly drink to excess during pregnancy should be sterilized to end this medical and social tragedy. I've read tons of reports from organizations associated with this problem. Not a single one has suggested legislation to sterilize repeat offenders. Many argue that individual rights prevent sterilization of these women. But surely there must be legislators who believe an innocent fetus has more rights that an alcohol-sodden mother. For babies' sake, legislation should end this tragedy. What do you think? I'd be interested to receive your opinion. My email is: gifford-jones@hotmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100215/780a77d1/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Mon Feb 15 17:10:05 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Mon Feb 15 17:16:10 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Band hopes mentoring will reduce FASD Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100215170957.03380498@ncf.ca> http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/02/10/calgary-tsuu-tina-fetal-alcohol.html cbcnews Canada Band hopes mentoring will reduce FASD Last Updated: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 | 1:55 PM MT CBC News An Alberta First Nation band hopes pairing fathers with mentors will help battle the problem of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. The program on the Tsuu T'ina First Nation, called Gathering Together, has men from the community mentoring fathers. Some of those dads have addictions. Others have a child with FASD, which is caused by women drinking while pregnant. 'It was about a month before I connected with anybody. Once I did establish connections with them it's hard to get them to stop talking now.'?Richard LeBlanc Studies show the behaviour of fathers has a significant impact on the behaviours of all family members, said Richard Amaral, a psychologist and the program coordinator. Women in relationships with men who don't drink or use drugs tend to have fewer struggles with addiction. "Many of the nations fathers also needed support. They also needed some type of mentorship. Teaching them how to be a dad, how to be a good loving father, how to be a spouse," he said. "A lot of our young aboriginal men and men in general who struggled with addiction in the past have never had that opportunity to develop those types of relationships." Richard LeBlanc mentors six men on the Calgary-area First Nation. "What society has told men to be is tough and you don't need any help to take care of your family, you got to do it all on your own. It was about a month before I connected with anybody. Once I did establish connections with them it's hard to get them to stop talking now. " FASD refers to a range of disabilities that are seen in people whose mothers drank alcohol while they were pregnant. Problems children face can include learning disabilities, memory loss, short attention spans and difficulty understanding the consequences of actions. The program on the Tsuu T'ina First Nation is paid for by Health Canada. Amaral and LeBlanc are hoping for extra funding so they reach more men in the community. Comments12 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100215/5566c146/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Wed Feb 17 17:21:14 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Wed Feb 17 17:22:12 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Middle class wine drinkers 'harming their unborn children': U.K. Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100217172105.043fdb90@ncf.ca> "...Department of Health advice is that women should not drink at all when trying to conceive or when pregnant. If women chose to drink they should not have more than one or two units once or twice a week and not drink enough to feel drunk." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7196991/Middle-class-wine-drinkers-harming-their-unborn-children.html Telegraph.co.uk Health - Health News Middle class wine drinkers 'harming their unborn children' Middle class women who regularly drink a bottle of wine at home with their partner are at 'high risk' of having a child with developmental problems, researchers said. By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor Published: 7:30AM GMT 10 Feb 2010 [Photo of couple dining, drinking wine] Sharing a bottle of wine may put women at high risk of having child with developmental problems, researchers have said Photo: GETTY In some cases women may damage their unborn child before they even realise they are pregnant, doctors said at a conference. Drinking during pregnancy can cause foetal alcohol syndrome, which can range from mild behaviour problems, to facial distortion, growth retardation and low IQ. It is thought around one in 100 children in Britain suffer with some form of the condition and cases may be rising as women are drinking more. Inconsistent messages about what is safe to drink during pregnancy has not helped the situation as some women use this as a reason to continue drinking, believing that scientists cannot agree, it was warned. Dr Raja Mukherjee, consultant psychiatrist and expert in foetal alcohol syndrome, said the science is not clear if there is a safe level to drink that will not harm the baby so the only guarantee is not to drink at all. "That doesn't mean all women who have the odd drink are harming their baby." He said: "In the past men would have gone out and drunk beer and women would drink very little but now people are bringing home a bottle of wine and drinking it between them at home. If they finish the wine that is ten or 11 units between them which is close to a binge for a woman. "If they do that two or three times a week, these women are in the high risk group. They are actually putting their babies at risk before they even know they are pregnant, in some cases." Dr Mukherjee was speaking at the National Organisation for Foetal Alcohol Syndrome conference in London. He said one of the most severely affected children he has seen was born after a wealthy woman whose children had grown up began going out more and binge drinking. At first she thought she was going through the menopause and only discovered she was pregnant at five and a half months when she had been drinking throughout. Susan Fleischer, executive director, said: "This is a condition that not only affect those whose mothers drank heavily during pregnancy, there is growing evidence of an effect at even low levels. "Women should not binge drink for their own health but also for the health of their child. Most women stop drinking or cut down when they know they are pregnancy but for some, the damage may already have been done." Department of Health advice is that women should not drink at all when trying to conceive or when pregnant. If women chose to drink they should not have more than one or two units once or twice a week and not drink enough to feel drunk. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100217/4b71f924/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Wed Feb 17 20:01:10 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Wed Feb 17 20:04:11 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] No more games for drunk Brits Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100217200100.045b55b8@ncf.ca> http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/02/11/no-more-games-for-drunk-brits/ Macleans magazine Toronto World No more games for drunk Brits In 2008, 5,000 teenage girls were treated for binge drinking by Cameron Ainsworth-Vincze on Thursday, February 11, 2010 12:30pm In a desperate attempt to stop Brits from drinking excessively, U.K. officials are banning drinking games and all-you-can-drink deals at pubs and clubs that cater to the nation?s growing binge-drinking culture. The crackdown includes outlawing games such as the ?dentist?s chair??where alcohol is continuously poured into a customer?s mouth while they are restrained?along with incorporating compulsory identity checks on customers who look younger than 18 years old. In addition, establishments must provide free tap water and offer customers the choice to select either a single or double spirit, or a small or large glass of wine. Bar owners who break the rules could be ned upward of the equivalent of $34,000, or even spend six months in jail. According to Britain?s National Health Service, alcoholic liver disease deaths are soaring, along with drinking-induced crimes that cost the U.K. between $13 billion and $22 billion a year. But health experts say the new laws don?t go far enough: it?s ?better than nothing,? says Carys Davis, spokesperson for Britain?s Alcohol Concern charity, but the restrictions ?seem tame? compared to raising the minimum price of bulk alcohol products (at shops and supermarkets, many alcohol products sell for less than the cost of brand-name mineral water), a move the NHS is lobbying for. But the idea of raising the minimum cost was shot down by ministers who don?t want to penalize responsible drinkers, especially in a general election year. Concerns abound about how to deal with binge-drinking Brits?especially teenagers. A survey of 35 countries released last March by the University of the West of England found that the U.K. had the third-highest number of 15- and 16-year-olds with alcohol problems, and the Department of Health revealed that more than 5,000 teenage girls were admitted to hospital in 2008 after binge drinking. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100217/35c5d8ee/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Wed Feb 17 23:03:30 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Wed Feb 17 23:04:12 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] New Normative Data Will Improve Diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100217230321.04740f30@ncf.ca> http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2010/17/c2581.html?view=print New Normative Data Will Improve Diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome TORONTO, Feb. 17 /CNW/ - Fetal Alcohol Research, the official journal of FACE (Fetal Alcohol Canadian Expertise), has published breakthrough research by Dr. Sterling Clarren, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Canada Northwest FASD Research Network and colleagues, establishing Canadian norms which will allow more accurate diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Normal Distribution of Palpebral Fissure Lengths in Canadian School Age Children, by S. Clarren, A.E. Chudley, L. Wong, J.Friesen, R. Brant @ http://www.cjcp.ca/pubmed.php?articleId=253 FASD is the most prevalent cause of mental handicap among Canadian children. Caused by maternal drinking during pregnancy, FASD poses difficult diagnostic challenges. One of the hallmark physical features of FASD is the horizontal length of the eye slit opening (palpebral fissure). Affected children often have smaller eye slits for their age. To be able to define the relative size of the eye, it is crucial to have normative values from the population of healthy children. Till now these definitions were based on old data that did not include all racial and ethnic groups as represented in Canada. There was concern that some populations might have smaller eye size genetically. Dr. Clarren said, "We found that eye size is similar enough in all racial groups that they can be evaluated through the same normal sample. We also found that the normal values are much smaller than in those presented in the literature. This finding is important because as many as 40% of children with normal eye size would have been diagnosed with have small eyes slits on the older charts regardless of their genetic background. These new data are critical if FAS prevalence is to be accurately measured in our country or anywhere else." To interview Dr. Clarren, e-mail sclarren@cw.bc.ca or call (604) 875-2996 For further information: Contact S. Santiago, FACE Research Network Coordinator, Tel: (416) 813-8084, journal.fas@sickkids.ca, www.motherisk.org/FAR -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100217/b8a05b39/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 18 09:45:09 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 18 09:46:24 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Training Helps Children Make and Keep Friends Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100218094451.03ffe2c0@ncf.ca> Skipped content of type multipart/related-------------- next part -------------- From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 18 09:45:41 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 18 09:46:27 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Link between Brain Structure & Mathematical Ability...better treatment..FASD Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100218094517.03ffe5d8@ncf.ca> Skipped content of type multipart/related-------------- next part -------------- From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 18 09:46:01 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 18 09:52:10 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Neural Processing Differences in ADHD in Individuals With & Without Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100218094554.03ffe178@ncf.ca> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127164015.htm Science Daily Science News Neural Processing Differences in ADHD in Individuals With and Without Prenatal Alcohol Exposure ScienceDaily (Feb. 3, 2010) ? The adversse effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on behavioral, cognitive, and social development can lead to a range of symptoms referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Attention and cognition problems seen in individuals with a history of prenatal alcohol exposure often resemble those linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). An assessment of these disorders has found that while children with FASD may meet the behavioral criteria for ADHD, their attention difficulties differ in subtle but important respects. Results will be published in the April 2010 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View. "ADHD is clinically diagnosed primarily on the basis of observations by the parent, teacher, and clinician regarding the degree to which a child exhibits specific behavioral symptoms, such as difficulty sustaining attention to and completing tasks or play activities, failure to listen when spoken to directly, impulsivity, talking out of turn, or difficulty sitting still," explained Joseph Jacobson, professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine and the study's corresponding author. "A large proportion of children with a history of prenatal alcohol exposure exhibits these behavioral characteristics and, therefore, may meet the criteria for a diagnosis of ADHD." Jacobson and his colleagues examined event-related potentials (ERPs), which reflect changes in the brain's electrical activity in response to a particular stimulus or condition, in 102 (54 women, 48 men) 19-year-olds. All of the young adults performed a Go/No-go task, which requires the participant to attend and respond selectively to non-target stimuli (Go) and inhibit responses to a target stimulus (No-go). Jacobson explained how the Go/No-go task was used in this study. "The participant is instructed to press a button whenever a letter appears on the screen except when the letter X appears," he said. "The participant gets into the routine of pressing the button as the letters appear on the screen. Once the rhythm of button pressing is established, individuals with ADHD find it more difficult to inhibit or hold back their impulse to press the button when the X appears and make more errors on the task regardless of whether or not they were exposed prenatally to alcohol." While participants with childhood ADHD, regardless of their prenatal alcohol exposure, were less accurate at inhibiting responses, only the ADHD group without prenatal alcohol exposure showed a unique ERP brain wave pattern, which may reflect a more effortful strategy related to inhibitory control. "This difference was seen in the P3 ERP brain wave component, which has been found in other studies to reflect the mental effort or heightened attention exerted in performing a task; thus, the more difficult or cognitively challenging the task, the larger the P3 brain wave," said Jacobson. "The typical response, which was seen both in the young adults with prenatal alcohol exposure and in the normal controls, is a larger P3 brain wave only in the more challenging No-go condition. We found that the young adults in the idiopathic ADHD group (i.e., those without prenatal alcohol exposure) showed a larger P3 wave during both types of trials -- those where they had to inhibit the button press and those where they did not have to inhibit, which suggests that they found the whole task more difficult and were unable to develop the type of automatic strategy for inhibiting responses that would be expected at this age." Jacobson added that this study is the first to use ERPs to compare neurophysiological function during a cognitive task with these two groups. "The data support the notion that information processing difficulties in children with prenatal alcohol exposure who exhibit ADHD symptoms may differ from those seen in children with idiopathic ADHD, even though behaviorally both groups may exhibit inattention and hyperactivity," he said. "The ERP data suggest that different neurophysiological processes may be responsible for the attention problems seen in these two groups, which may explain why psychostimulant medication, which is often effective in treating idiopathic ADHD, is reported to be less effective in children with ADHD behavioral symptoms who were prenatally exposed to alcohol." In summary, he said, this study provides improved understanding of the differences in neurophysiological processing responsible for the behavioral symptoms in these two different groups, which may in turn, provide important clues regarding new treatments that may be more effective for treating ADHD symptoms in children with prenatal alcohol exposure. Story Source: Adapted from materials provided by Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS. Journal Reference: Burden et al. An Event-Related Potential Study of Response Inhibition in ADHD With and Without Prenatal Alcohol Exposure. Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research, 2010; DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2009.01130.x -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100218/1458ad09/attachment-0001.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 18 09:46:22 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 18 09:52:16 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Advocate: Walt Teichen of Illinois Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100218094613.03ffdee8@ncf.ca> Skipped content of type multipart/related-------------- next part -------------- From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 18 09:47:42 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 18 09:52:20 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] A Look at the DSM-V Draft Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100218094719.03ffdc58@ncf.ca> http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/02/09/a-look-at-the-dsm-v-draft/ PsychCentral World of Psychology Feb. 9, 2010 A Look at the DSM-V Draft By John M Grohol PsyD Tomorrow will mark the release of the first public draft of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition ? also known as the DSM-V. (As you can see, we have an exclusive first-copy of it to the right!) Because we were not on the American Psychiatric Association?s media list, we didn?t receive a copy of the news releases that the mainstream media will be basing a lot of their stories around that will be published tomorrow. We also weren?t invited to the conference call today, despite our repeated attempts to contact the APA?s media office. This turns out to be good news for our readers. I?m free to talk about what I suspect will be in the draft that appears on the dsmv.org website tomorrow. I gathered this information from numerous anonymous sources, both online and off. Here?s what you?re likely to find in tomorrow?s draft release of the DSM V: Autism Spectrum Disorders As we first noted back in November, Asperger?s Syndrome is slated for the chopping block in the DSM-V. Instead, all the autism-related disorders ? including Asperger?s ? will be placed into a general category known as Autism Spectrum Disorders. Asperger?s will probably be known as something similar to ?mild autism? in this new category in the DSM-V. Behavioral Addictions Yes, you heard me right ? behavioral addictions as a category has made it into the draft revision (according to our sources). The only behavioral addiction that will be recognized, however, will be pathological gambling. Sex addiction and Internet addiction (which, remember, started off as a joke in 1995) will instead appear in the Appendix under the Criteria Sets and Axes Provided for Further Study. In other words, the concept of a ?behavioral addiction? will be recognized, but most specific behavioral addictions simply do not have the robust research base to be included at this time. So while technically in the DSM V, Internet addiction and sex addiction are not disorders that can be diagnosed at this time (by providing an agreed-upon set of criteria, the DSM V publishers hope researchers can use the criteria to further research in those areas). Substance & Alcohol Dependence Gone For a long time now, the DSM-IV has made the distinction between someone who was ?abusing? alcohol or illegal substances like cocaine, and those who were ?dependent? upon them. It was a difference with very little distinction or use amongst clinicians, since substance abuse and alcohol abuse treatment were largely the same no matter which of the two diagnoses you received. DSM-V will rectify this confusing two sets of diagnoses and combine them into one that will have a set of specifiers to note severity and length. Binge Eating Disorder Languishing in the categories needing further research for 16 years, binge eating disorder will now be a recognized eating disorder in the regular section of the DSM V. This will come as a relief to tens of thousands of people every year who have this concern, but have not had it officially recognized by the American Psychiatric Association until now. Dimensional Assessments As we noted way back in May of last year, one of the most significant changes in the DSM-V draft will be the inclusion of dimensional assessments for depression, anxiety, cognitive impairment and reality distortion that span across most mental disorders. So a clinician might diagnose schizophrenia, but then also rate these four dimensions for the patient to characterize the schizophrenia in a more detailed and descriptive manner. We?re not certain how well these catch on with clinicians unless they become required by insurance companies, as past efforts to supplement diagnoses with additional patient functional information have been failures. Assessing Risk Prodromal signs is a fancy psychobabble term for assessing risk and looking for the signs of a disorder before it turns into a full-blown disorder. Imagine if we could more reliably and consistently assess risk for depression, actually preventing some people from becoming full-blown depressed? I?m not certain exactly how this is showing up in the draft, but there will be more of an emphasis in the DSM V draft in assessing risk. Temper Dysregulation in Children High emotional reactivity, high temper, emotional over-reactivity and affective lability. Now there?s a mouthful! What did I just say? The interpretation of this new proposed disorder for the DSM-V is basically for children who can?t control their temper (you probably know someone like this in your life), and because of the way their anger spills out into their lives, they suffer from depression. It will be characterized by persistent negative mood with bursts of rage. So this new disorder will be known as ?Temper Dysregulation with dysphoria,? or something like that, in the DSM V. So there you have it ? a quick rundown of the highlights that you?ll see in the draft public release of the DSM-V tomorrow. Look for it at www.dsmv.org. We?ll have a more in-depth run-down tomorrow about the biggest changes. Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues, and the intersection of technology and psychology since 1992. Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues, and the intersection of technology and psychology since 1992 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100218/c914af17/attachment-0001.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 18 09:48:12 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 18 09:52:25 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Big changes proposed in psychiatric diagnoses: DSM5 Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100218094803.03ffd9c8@ncf.ca> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35319386/ns/health-mental_health/ msnbc Health - Mental Health Big changes proposed in psychiatric diagnoses Proposals include calling Asperger?s syndrome mild autism The Associated Press updated 8:17 a.m. ET, Wed., Feb. 10, 2010 WASHINGTON - Don't say "mental retardation" ? the new term is "intellectual disability." No more diagnoses of Asperger's syndrome ? call it a mild version of autism instead. And while "behavioral addictions" will be new to doctors' dictionaries, "Internet addiction" didn't make the cut. The American Psychiatric Association is proposing major changes Wednesday to its diagnostic bible, the manual that doctors, insurers and scientists use in deciding what's officially a mental disorder and what symptoms to treat. In a new twist, it is seeking feedback via the Internet from both psychiatrists and the general public about whether the changes will be helpful before finalizing them. The manual suggests some new diagnoses. Gambling so far is the lone identified behavioral addiction, but in the new category of learning disabilities are problems with both reading and math. Also new is binge eating, distinct from bulimia because the binge eaters don't purge. Sure to generate debate, the draft also proposes diagnosing people as being at high risk of developing some serious mental disorders ? such as dementia or schizophrenia ? based on early symptoms, even though there's no way to know who will worsen into full-blown illness. It's a category the psychiatrist group's own leaders say must be used with caution, as scientists don't yet have treatments to lower that risk but also don't want to miss people on the cusp of needing care. Another change: The draft sets scales to estimate both adults and teens most at risk of suicide, stressing that suicide occurs with numerous mental illnesses, not just depression. But overall the manual's biggest changes eliminate diagnoses that it contends are essentially subtypes of broader illnesses ? and urge doctors to concentrate more on the severity of their patients' symptoms. Thus the draft sets "autism spectrum disorders" as the diagnosis that encompasses a full range of autistic brain conditions ? from mild social impairment to more severe autism's lack of eye contact, repetitive behavior and poor communication ? instead of differentiating between the terms autism, Asperger's or "pervasive developmental disorder" as doctors do today. The psychiatric group expects that overarching change could actually lower the numbers of people thought to suffer from mental disorders. "Is someone really a patient, or just meets some criteria like trouble sleeping?" APA President Dr. Alan Schatzberg, a Stanford University psychiatry professor, told The Associated Press. "It's really important for us as a field to try not to overdiagnose." Psychiatry has been accused of overdiagnosis in recent years as prescriptions for antidepressants, stimulants and other medications have soared. So the update of this manual called the DSM-5 ? the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition ? has been anxiously awaited. It's the first update since 1994, and brain research during that time period has soared. That work is key to give scientists new insight into mental disorders with underlying causes that often are a mystery and that cannot be diagnosed with, say, a blood test or X-ray. "The field is still trying to organize valid diagnostic categories. It's honest to re-look at what the science says and doesn't say periodically," said Ken Duckworth, medical director for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, which was gearing up to evaluate the draft. The draft manual, posted at http://www.DSM5.org, is up for public debate through April, and it's expected to be lively. Among the autism community especially, terminology is considered key to describing a set of poorly understood conditions. People with Asperger's syndrome, for instance, tend to function poorly socially but be high-achieving academically and verbally, while verbal problems are often a feature of other forms of autism. "It's really important to recognize that diagnostic labels very much can be a part of one's identity," said Geri Dawson of the advocacy group Autism Speaks, which plans to take no stand on the autism revisions. "People will have an emotional reaction to this." Liane Holliday Willey, an author of books about Asperger's who also has the condition, said in an e-mail that school autism services often are geared to help lower-functioning children. "I cannot fathom how anyone could even imagine they are one and the same," she wrote. "If I had put my daughter who has a high IQ and solid verbal skills in the autism program, her self-esteem, intelligence and academic progress would have shut down." Terminology also reflects cultural sensitivities. Most patient-advocacy groups already have adopted the term "intellectual disability" in place of "mental retardation." Just this month, the White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, drew criticism from former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and others for using the word "retarded" to describe some activists whose tactics he questioned. He later apologized. URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35319386/ns/health-mental_health/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100218/27074160/attachment-0001.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 18 09:48:40 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 18 09:52:29 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Proposed Draft Revisions to DSM Disorders and Criteria Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100218094831.03ffd738@ncf.ca> http://www.dsm5.org/Pages/Default.aspx American Psychiatric Association DSM-5 Development DSM-5: The Future of Psychiatric Diagnosis Publication of the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) in May 2013 will mark one the most anticipated events in the mental health field. As part of the development process, the preliminary draft revisions to the current diagnostic criteria for psychiatric diagnoses are now available for public review and comment. We thank you for your interest in DSM-5 and hope that you use this opportunity not only to learn more about the proposed changes in DSM-5, but also about its history, its impact, and its developers. Please continue to check this site for updates to criteria and for more information about the development process. A Message from the DSM-5 Task Force Chairs Dear Reader, Welcome to the DSM-5 Development Web site. This site provides information culminated from over 10 years of revision activities, made possible thanks to the generous dedication of more than 600 global experts in the field of mental health. The DSM-5 Task Force and Work Group members are working to develop criteria for diagnoses that not only reflect new advances in the science and conceptualization of mental disorders, but also reflect the needs of our patients. We encourage you to delve into the wealth of information contained within this site to become familiar with some of the advancements in scientific and clinical knowledge that will assist in making diagnoses more accurate, valid, and clinically useful. We also hope that this knowledge will pave the way for further research in these important areas. Your input, whether you are a clinician, a researcher, an administrator, or a person/family member affected by a mental disorder, is important to us. We thank you for taking part in this historic process and look forward to receiving your feedback. David J. Kupfer, M.D., DSM-5 Task Force Chair Darrel A. Regier, M.D., M.P.H., DSM-5 Task Force Vice-Chair Proposed Draft Revisions to DSM Disorders and Criteria The draft disorders and disorder criteria that have been proposed by the DSM-5 Work Groups can be found on these pages. Use the links below to read about proposed changes to the disorders that interest you. Please note that the proposed criteria listed here are not final. These are initial drafts of the recommendations that have been made to date by the DSM-5 Work Groups. Viewers will be able to submit comments until April 20, 2010. After that time, this site will be available for viewing only. Structural, Cross-Cutting, and General Classification Issues for DSM-5 Disorders Usually First Diagnosed in Infancy, Childhood, or Adolescence Delirium, Dementia, Amnestic, and Other Cognitive Disorders Mental Disorders Due to a General Medical Condition Not Elsewhere Classified Substance-Related Disorders Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders Mood Disorders Anxiety Disorders Somatoform Disorders Factitious Disorders Dissociative Disorders Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Eating Disorders Sleep Disorders Impulse-Control Disorders Not Elsewhere Classified Adjustment Disorders Personality Disorders Other Conditions that May Be the Focus of Clinical Attention Participate Login to comment on the DSM-5 User Name: Password: New User? Register Now Forgot Password? What's New APA Announces Draft Diagnostic Criteria for DSM-5 DSM-5 Development Process Includes Emphasis on Gender and Cultural Sensitivity Announcement of Change in DSM-5 Timeline More News>> Representing 38,000 physician leaders in mental health. ? 2010 American Psychiatric Association. All Rights Reserved. Use of all Materials on this Website is subject to Terms and Conditions of Use. 1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1825, Arlington, Va. 22209-3901 phone: 703-907-7300 email: apa@psych.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100218/916f86f2/attachment-0001.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 18 09:49:47 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 18 09:52:34 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] FAS among Conditions Proposed by Outside Sources for the DSM-V Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100218094851.03ffd420@ncf.ca> http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevisions/Pages/ConditionsProposedbyOutsideSources.aspx American Psychiatric Association DSM-5 Development Proposed Revisions Conditions Proposed by Outside Sources There are a number of conditions that are being recommended for addition to DSM-5 by outside sources, such as mental health advocacy groups, that are still under consideration by the work groups. The following conditions are considered "under review," and work groups will make a recommendation about their inclusion after further assessing the evidence. We welcome your comments on whether available evidence indicates that the following should be included in DSM-5. Apathy Syndrome Body Integrity Identity Disorder Complicated Grief Disorder Developmental Trauma Disorder Disorders of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Internet Addiction Male-to-Eunuch Gender Identity Disorder Melancholia Parental Alienation Disorder Seasonal Affective Disorder Sensory Processing Disorder Want to comment? Please Login or Register Now. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100218/a4da84be/attachment-0001.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 18 09:50:14 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 18 09:52:37 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Gambling labelled mental disorder Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100218095006.03ffd190@ncf.ca> www.canada.com 10 Feb 2010 Ottawa Citizen BY SHARI ROAN MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE Gambling labelled mental disorder LOS ANGELES After years of research, professional infighting and maneuvering from various interest groups, American psychiatrists on Tuesday unveiled proposed changes to the manual used to diagnose and treat mental disorders around the world. The draft document, released by the American Psychiatric Association, for the first time calls for binge eating and gambling to be considered disorders. But it refrains from suggesting a formal diagnosis for obesity, Internet or sex addictions, as some professionals proposed. The document also recommends a single category for autism spectrum disorders, unifying what has been a complicated diagnostic scale. The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders will be published in 2013. The book is also used by insurance companies making decisions on treatment coverage and in courtrooms and schools. DSM-5 is likely to list fewer diagnoses than DSM-4. Experts have proposed folding several disorders into single categories based on studies that suggest some disorders have similar origins, symptoms and treatments but only vary in severity. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100218/5388eaf0/attachment-0001.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 18 09:50:38 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 18 09:52:39 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Disorder names under scrutiny Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100218095030.03ffcf00@ncf.ca> www.canada.com 12 Feb 2010 Calgary Herald KARIN ZEITVOGEL AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE WASHINGTON Disorder names under scrutiny New manual due in 2013 Is your child often grumpy and prone to temper tantrums? They could soon be diagnosed with TDD, or temper dysregulation with dysphoria to give it its full name. If they have Asperger?s syndrome, you might have to stop calling it that and switch to ?mild autism spectrum disorder.? And if getting a handle on math is their problem, they could have ?dyscalculia.? Those are just some of the new names and mental disorders released Wednesday by the American Psychiatric Association that could be included in the next edition of mental health practitioners? tome of reference, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, usually called the DSM. If all the proposed changes make it into the new DSM, which is due to be released in three years, ?mental retardation? will be replaced by the more politically correct ?intellectual disability,? and conditions such as binge eating will be recognized as bonafide mental disorders. Pathological gamblers will get their very own category ? behavioural addictions. But if you?re looking for a classification for kids who lock themselves in their rooms and spend hours on end on the Internet, you?ll have to wait. ?Internet addiction? was considered for inclusion in the same behavioural addiction category as pathological gambling, but the work g roup decided t here was insufficient research data to do so. The association has posted all the proposed changes to the DSM on the Internet to allow the public to review them and comment. The new criteria for diagnosing a condition and new conditions will then be reviewed and refined over the next two years, and field trials will be conducted on some of the criteria to see if they work in a real-life scenario. In the case of TDD, the manual sets a high bar for such a diagnosis. A child?s outbursts have to be severe and occur three or more times a week and be ?grossly out of proportion to the situation or provocation and interfere significantly with functioning. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100218/1f417636/attachment-0001.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 18 09:50:56 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 18 09:52:42 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Revisions to manual on mental disorders stir debate Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100218095048.03ffcc70@ncf.ca> www.canada.com 14 Feb 2010 Edmonton Journal BENEDICT CAREY New York Times News Service Revisions to manual on mental disorders stir debate ?Anything you put in that book, any little change you make, has huge implications? Psychiatrist Michael First Far fewer children would get a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. ?Binge eating disorder? and ?hypersexuality? might become commonly used labels for adults. And the way many mental disorders are diagnosed and treated would be sharply revised. These are a few of the changes proposed last week by doctors charged with revising psychiatry?s encyclopedia of mental disorders, the guidebook that largely determines where society draws the line between normal and not normal, between eccentricity and illness, between self-indulgence and self-destruction ? and, by extension, when and how patients should be treated. The eagerly awaited revisions ? to be published, if adopted, in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, due in 2013 ? would be the first in a decade. The book is used worldwide. (The draft of the document will be online for public comment until April 20 at dsm5.org) For months they?ve been the subject of intense speculation and lobbying by advocacy groups, and some proposed changes have already been widely discussed ? including folding the diagnosis of Asperger?s syndrome into a broader category, autism spectrum disorder. But others, including a proposed alternative for bipolar disorder in many children, were unveiled on Tuesday. Experts said the recommendations could bring rapid change in several areas. ?Anything you put in that book, any little change you make, has huge implications not only for psychiatry but for pharmaceutical marketing, research, for the legal system, for who?s considered to be normal or not, for who?s considered disabled,? said Dr. Michael First, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University who edited the fourth edition of the manual but is not involved in the fifth. ?And it has huge implications for stigma,? First continued, ?because the more disorders you put in, the more people get labels, and the higher the risk that some get inappropriate treatment.? One significant change would be adding a childhood disorder called temper dysregulation disorder with dysphoria, a recommendation that grew out of recent findings that many wildly aggressive, irritable children who have been given a diagnosis of bipolar disorder do not have it. The misdiagnosis led many children to be given powerful anti-psychotic drugs, which have serious side-effects, including metabolic changes. ?The treatment of bipolar disorder is meds first, meds second and meds third,? said Dr. Jack McClellan, a psychiatrist at the University of Washington who is not working on the manual. ?Whereas if these kids have a behaviour disorder, then behavioural treatment should be considered the primary treatment.? Experts gave the American Psychiatric Association, which publishes the manual, mixed reviews. Some were relieved that the task force working on the manual ? which includes neurologists and psychologists as well as psychiatrists ? had revised the previous version rather than trying to rewrite it. Others criticized the authors, saying many diagnoses in the manual would still lack a rigorous scientific basis. The good news, said Edward Shorter, a historian of psychiatry who has been critical of the manual, is that most patients will be spared the confusion of a changed diagnosis. But ?the bad news,? he added, ?is that the scientific status of the main diseases in previous editions of the DSM ? the keystones of the vault of psychiatry ? is fragile.? To more completely characterize all patients, the authors propose using measures of severity, from mild to severe, and ratings of symptoms, like anxiety, that are found as often with personality disorders as with depression. ?In the current version of the manual, people either meet the threshold by having a certain number of symptoms, or they don?t,? said Dr. Darrel Regier, the psychiatric association?s research director and, with Dr. David Kupfer of the University of Pittsburgh, the co-chairman of the task force. ?But often that doesn?t fit reality. Someone with schizophrenia might have symptoms of insomnia, of anxiety; these aren?t the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia, but they affect the patient?s life, and we?d like to have a standard way of measuring them.? In a conference call, Regier, Kupfer and several other members of the task force outlined their favoured revisions. Examples: semantic changes such as trading the term ?mental retardation? for ?intellectual disability? and ?substance abuse? for ?addiction.? One of the most controversial proposals was to identify ?risk syndromes,? that is, a risk of developing a disorder like schizophrenia or dementia. Studies of teenagers identified as at high risk of developing psychosis, for instance, find that 70 per cent or more in fact do not come down with the disorder. ?I completely understand the idea of trying to catch something early,? First said, ?but there?s a huge potential that many unusual, semi-deviant, creative kids could fall under this umbrella and carry this label for the rest of their lives.? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100218/f1afbe06/attachment-0001.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 18 09:51:21 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 18 09:52:44 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Dangers Of Drug & Alcohol Use During Pregnancy: New Zealand Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100218095113.03ffc9e0@ncf.ca> http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1002/S00056.htm Scoop Independent News Health Dangers Of Drug And Alcohol Use During Pregnancy Friday, 12 February 2010, 5:33 pm Press Release: Alcohol Healthwatch Dangers Of Drug And Alcohol Use During Pregnancy: Medics Ask For More Training A new study has found that doctors and nurses believe they need more training and resources to help them talk to pregnant women about the dangers of alcohol and drug use. Dr Trecia Wouldes of the University of Auckland, who conducted the study for Alcohol Healthwatch, says while most doctors and nurses surveyed said they believed women should abstain from alcohol and other drugs during pregnancy, many also indicated there were gaps in their knowledge. For example, she says of the 241 health professionals surveyed, only 25 percent were able to correctly identify the four main criteria for a diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome. This is despite these criteria remaining unchanged for 35 years. "Most of those surveyed indicated they would welcome further training on advising women about the dangers of alcohol and drug use during pregnancy. Many also said they would find it useful to have a standard set of questions about alcohol and drug use that they could go through with patients." She said some health professionals indicated they may be less likely to question pregnant women about alcohol and drug use, and give advice, in particular circumstances. "For example, they may not discuss alcohol and other drug use with women from a culture or economic background they perceived to be at low risk. "More education from training institutions for current and future medical practitioners would help them feel more confident in dealing with alcohol and drug use issues. "We know many women continue to drink alcohol and use other drugs during pregnancy and disorders from such exposure are at unacceptable levels across society. Health professionals are uniquely placed to prevent another generation from unnecessary risk and it is important that their education be increased dramatically." Rebecca Williams, Director of Alcohol Healthwatch, agrees, saying this is a sensitive issue, made worse by a critical knowledge gap. "Previous studies have focused on what women do during pregnancy but little was known about the sort of advice they were receiving from their doctor or midwife. The findings from this study show we have a great opportunity to work with health professionals." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100218/27a8c005/attachment-0001.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 18 09:51:35 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 18 09:52:47 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Carlsberg, Stella Artois & Becks to be shamed over warning labels Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100218095128.03ffc6c8@ncf.ca> http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23805237-carlsberg-stella-artois-and-becks-to-be-shamed-over-warning-labels.do London Evening Standard News Carlsberg, Stella Artois and Becks to be shamed over warning labels Sophie Goodchild and Jonathan Prynn 12.02.10 The alcohol giants behind Carlsberg, Stella Artois and Becks are to be "named and shamed" by the Government over their failure to adopt health warning labels. Carlsberg and InBev will be singled out for the first time by Health Secretary Andy Burnham. The move has been prompted by research showing the firms, who invest millions in UK sports sponsorship, are the worst offenders in the industry. A voluntary system of "safe drinking" labels was agreed between ministers and the drinks industry three years ago. Bottles of beer, wine and spirits should carry unit content details, daily safe drinking limits, warnings for pregnant women as well as contact details for campaign group Drink Aware. But a Government-commissioned report set to be published on Monday will show that just 15 per cent are complying with the code. The Department of Health is now proposing the system of labels should be mandatory or at least be overhauled. It will also suggest that drinks should carry "shock" labels with graphic images of the health impacts of excessive drinking, similar to those on cigarette packets. As many as 22,000 people a year die prematurely from excessive drinking. Britain's binge-drinking culture has been partly blamed on the industry's failure to promote responsibility. The Royal College of Physicians described drinks makers' failure to adopt health labels as "scandalous". Its president, Professor Ian Gilmore, said: "If the Government is going to name and shame companies, it's high time they did. And the code should be mandatory. If the industry is dragging its heels, we can't wait another three years for them to comply." The Department of Health said that efforts by "some brands" had been disappointing and that they would be publishing a consultation next week. Carlsberg said: "We're members of the Portman Group. We look to be socially responsible." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100218/0a8cb772/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 18 09:52:23 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 18 09:52:50 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] A century of matchless service: Bissell Centre Edmonton Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100218095215.03ffbf18@ncf.ca> "...Current endeavours stretch from employment services and family programs to adult support and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder assistance, the drop-in centre, camps and well beyond...." A century of matchless service Anonymous. Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alta.: Feb 12, 2010. pg. A.18 Bill has chronic psychiatric difficulties but wishes to live independently. A mental health worker helps him with basic life skills, from banking to eating properly to seeing that he takes his medication. Twice yearly, he goes to a lakeside camp for a nominal fee. Rose moved to Edmonton from Saskatchewan with her husband and infant. The man found a job, but all the family's money was taken up by paying for a damage deposit on an apartment. They received food, formula and diapers for the baby, and thrift-store vouchers to get them started with clothing and furniture. Jim arrives each morning at 7 a.m., hoping to find work. If not, there is a meal, a laundry room, a card table and warm companionship for the day. He says: "I go to my apartment to sleep, but this is my home." The above stories, and thousands like them, are the daily reality and distinguished legacy of the Bissell Centre, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in Edmonton this week. Any organization hitting the century mark here is cause for celebration -- and wonder -- in a relatively young city. But the fact that this is an inner city mission that still relies heavily on donations is little short of a miracle. The centre dates to 1910, as a Methodist church mission founded by William and Florence Pike, later merging with the Presbyterian Mc-Queen Institute and taking the name All People's Mission in 1925 when the United Church was formed. The current designation honours the philanthropy of farm machinery baron Torrence E. Bissell, who donated $25,000 a decade later, allowing the centre to move into new premises, christened the Bissell Institute in 1935. From the beginning, the Bissell has served the most vulnerable among us, initially welcoming Ukrainian immigrants, later helping victims of the Great Depression. It's also consistently been a gutsy and inclusive force for change, for example helping Second World War Japanese-Canadians who had been shamefully stripped of their property. That was a lonely crusade at one point, and the Bissell was there, regardless of the political consequences. So it has been ever since, changing its focus and programming to fit the vicissitudes and shifting demographics of the city's central core. These days, some 70 per cent of the centre's clients are aboriginal people. That link arcs back to the 1940s, when the Bissell provided oppressed native Canadians with the resources necessary to protest the madness of laws that, incredibly, once prohibited more than 12 aboriginal people gathering together from speaking their own language. The Bissell of today, at 105th Avenue and 96th Street, is a busy and ambitious operation, having expanded to West and East Centres downtown, the latter building completed and renovated in 2008. Current endeavours stretch from employment services and family programs to adult support and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder assistance, the drop-in centre, camps and well beyond. And yes, although the centre does receive considerable assistance from agencies and foundations along with individual and corporate gifts, it is still supported by the United Church. The ecumenical Inner City Pastoral Ministry holds Sunday services at the Centre, offering lunch prepared and served by volunteers. The Bissell Centre, duly saluted with a mayoral proclamation and ceremony Wednesday, remains a beacon of compassion, a strong advocate for the powerless and an estimable social services agency unto itself. It's an appropriate time for Edmontonians to recognize a century of inspired goodwill with a donation of money, supplies, labour or at least a visit to the centre's thrift shop on 118th Avenue. Well done, and may the important work continue. A city offers its grateful thanks. Credit: Edmonton Journal [Illustration] Photo: The Journal, File / Gloria Bome enjoys a traditional New Year's Day dinner at the Bissell Centre on Jan. 1, 2010.; Caption: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100218/1c2a6ea2/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 18 09:51:56 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 18 09:52:52 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Govt considers putting warning label on liquor bottles: U.K. Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100218095147.03ffc438@ncf.ca> http://topnews.us/content/211202-govt-considers-putting-warning-label-liquor-bottles TopNews United States Health United Kingdom Govt considers putting warning label on liquor bottles Submitted by Amit Pathania on Tue, 02/16/2010 - 15:46 Proposal to direct drinks firms to put a label on their products about warning people like cigarettes do is being considered by ministers. The labels would display a general health warning about telling people to drink responsibly. Safe alcohol consumption for both men and women and how many units were in the bottle would be displayed on cans and bottles and logo of Drink Aware would be displayed. It is a charity that aims to challenge Britain's national drinking culture. There is no obligation presently on these companies to put the label. Government yesterday admitted that if they relied on distillers and brewers to print the warnings of their own then only 40 per cent drinks would carry these warnings by year 2012. Ministers stated that they have a target of making 50 per cent cans and bottles carry the warning by 2012. The Government is now considering proposals for making displaying a warning mandatory for distillers, wine makers and brewers. Jeremy Beadles, chief executive of the Wine and Spirits Association, admitted that things were moving too slowly. "Progress has been too slow but the industry is now determined to deliver compliance that will see the majority of products fully labelled within two years," he said. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100218/bf431cec/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 18 11:52:45 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 18 11:52:09 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Normal distribution of palpebral fissure lengths in canadian school age children Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100218115237.041e4ad8@ncf.ca> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20147771?dopt=Abstract PubMed.gov Can J Clin Pharmacol. 2010 Winter;17(1):e67-78. Epub 2010 Feb 10. Normal distribution of palpebral fissure lengths in canadian school age children. Clarren SK, Chudley AE, Wong L, Friesen J, Brant R. Background Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) includes the facial dysmorphic feature of short palpebral fissures (PFs) and short PFs are a key physical marker for identifying children with FAS and some other rarer conditions. There is concern that normative data on PFs now available may not reflect all racial/ethnic groups and might be inaccurate in general. Objectives To accomplish a large population based study that would accurately determine normative PF values across the full diversity of the Canadian school age population. Methods A normative sample of school age children was identified in Vancouver, British Columbia and Winnipeg, Manitoba to reflect the diversity of racial and national groups in Canada. The sample included students in grades 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 from 17 schools in Vancouver and 31 schools in Winnipeg. Schools were selected based on racial diversity obtained from data from the 2001 Statistics Canada census. 1064 students in Vancouver and 1033 students in Winnipeg were photographed in a standardized way. Photographs were analyzed using a computerized method. Results Analysis demonstrated that PFs do grow with age and there is a slight but meaningful difference between boys and girls in each age group. It is possible to define Canadian standards without reference to racial or ethnic origin. Conclusion Mean results with norms and standard deviations are presented in figures for clinical use and are clinically smaller than those found in the most commonly used reference book. PMID: 20147771 [PubMed - in process] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100218/0e5b95e4/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Wed Feb 24 23:12:57 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Wed Feb 24 23:16:10 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Woody Harrelson loved filming Defendor: character has FAS Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100224231248.0354d340@ncf.ca> http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/article/764221--woody-harrelson-loved-filming-defendor-in-hamilton Toronto Star Entertainment - Movies Woody Harrelson loved filming Defendor in Hamilton Filming in Hamilton enjoyable experience for cast of Defendor Published On Fri Feb 12 2010 By Linda Barnard Movies Writer [Photo] Woody Harrelson plays a superhero with fetal alcohol syndrome in 'Defendor.' SUPPLIED PHOTO Woody Harrelson paused for a little "freaking out" before his first scene as Arthur Poppington, a child-like man with a duct-tape D on his shirt who truly believes he's a bullet-stopping superhero in Defendor, opening Feb. 19. "I tell you what: before I shot it, the day before, I had no f--king clue what I was doing," a smiling Harrelson said in his familiar Texas drawl as he talked with the Star in a Yorkville hotel the day before Defendor had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last September. "I really had no clue and I was freaking out. I do that sometimes before I start," Harrelson said slowly, starting to laugh. "Well, pretty much every time before I start." Called "one of the great American actors of his generation" by Defendor writer/director Peter Stebbings, Harrelson has been nominated for two Best Actor Oscars ? as the infamous Hustler publisher in The People vss. Larry Flynt in 1996 and again this year for The Messenger (scheduled to open in Toronto Feb. 26), playing a U.S. Army soldier who brings bad news to families about their loved ones. Lean and square-jawed with piercing blue eyes, Harrelson seems to be a man whose passions run close to the surface. He gets excited about things - from a reporter's briefcase on wheels ("that's cool!") to Stebbings' Defendor screenplay. "When I read the script, I was, `Oh my god! This is so clever.' It's so beautiful and original and such a beautiful story." Shot in Hamilton, an experience both Harrelson and his co-star Kat Dennings said they enjoyed ? "I did have a good time!" Harrelson said entthusiastically ? Defendor is Toronto-based Stebbings' directing debbut. "Woody is unbelievable. He can do anything," observed Dennings in an interview later the same day. "He's so much fun. We had so much fun together." The 48-year-old Harrelson decided to approach Arthur by playing him as a victim of fetal alcohol syndrome. "What happens is someone gets frozen at a young emotional age and so I decided to play it like that," Harrelson explained. "Reading about superheroes was when Arthur got stuck. Generally, it's just more playing a kid." Defendor follows Arthur's self-appointed mission to protect local citizens from his archenemy, Captain Industry. Along the way he befriends Kat (played by Dennings), a wiseass street kid with a crack habit. "I was inspired by some people I had met with the illness (FAS) I perceived him to have," Harrelson explained, adding he wanted to keep Arthur's emotional limitations subtle. "This isn't Rain Man." Harrelson said Arthur really took form for him after he met a young Toronto man with FAS. "I wanted to do justice to this character," he said. "I met this kid before I started shooting ? 21 years old, a really amazing guy. I wass so knocked out by this guy. I met him with his mother ... I really had to find a way to simplify what I was going for. It's a guy who is still a kid. It's as simple as that." In Defendor, the 40-something Arthur lives as a squatter in a Hamilton municipal works yard. At night, he suits up for battle as Defendor, donning a homemade costume, helmet and makeup mask. "Look out termites, it's squishing time," he announces. Arthur's weapons are homemade, too, and some of the funniest scenes involve his improvised tools for taking down bad guys. Of course, Arthur never finds it humorous. "It's imperative that you believe he believes," added Harrelson. "I love the dalliance between is it comedy, is it drama? It's so interesting to me." His voice trailed off and suddenly, Harrelson started to laugh. "This is a funny f---in' line where Arthur stands up and gets Tasered and all he can say is, `where can I get one of those?' That's funny, man! I gotta give him (Stebbings) credit." A busy actor, Harrelson picks his roles with care. Most recently, he earned solid reviews as a Twinkie-munching undead-slayer in Zombieland and a bounty hunter in the Coen Bros' No Country for Old Men. He's played parts as varied as a country singer in A Prairie Home Companion and a mass murderer in Natural Born Killers since first catching the public's attention as uncomplicated bartender Woody on the 1980s-1990s hit TV series, Cheers. Harrelson also has an affinity for Toronto. He helped lead about 1,000 people in a massive outdoor yoga session at the University of Toronto during TIFF 2003 to promote local filmmaker Ron Mann's doc, Go Further. Mann's camera followed Harrelson and friends on a bio-fuelled bus road trip down the Pacific Coast Highway to promote their environmentally sustainable lifestyle. "I wouldn't mind doing another yoga here. That was a fun experience," said Harrelson. But the opportunity never arose. Nor did it when he returned to Toronto the following month to accept an honorary doctorate from York University for his work on environmental causes. A crusader for decriminalization of marijuana, the promotion of hemp products, global sustainability and living a vegan lifestyle (he ate only faux Twinkies in Zombieland), Harrelson is also known for what he calls his "actions" ? civil disobedience to make a political point. "I guess you could say I'm an armchair activist because I put the money behind things or get into things remotely," he said. "I try to breach the front line a bit. Politically people aren't doing anything and industry is not changing how they do things. There's a real consciousness going on with global warming. "People are aware there's some funny s--t going on with the weather and change had better come soon." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100224/f7794889/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Wed Feb 24 23:13:14 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Wed Feb 24 23:16:14 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] The dork knight; Woody Harrelson plays a less serious type of superhero Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100224231304.0354d0b0@ncf.ca> "...He did some research into fetal alcohol syndrome, which the film suggests (but never openly states) is part of Poppington's problem...." The dork knight; Woody Harrelson plays a less serious type of superhero who fights crime on the streets of Hamilton in Defendor Chris Knight. National Post. Don Mills, Ont.: Feb 16, 2010. pg. AL.1 You'd be hard-pressed to get away from Woody Harrelson these days. Just three months ago, the 48-year-old had a small but memorable role as a paranoid survivalist in the end-of-the-world flick 2012. Two weeks ago, the DVD release of Zombieland had him slaying the undead in a more comic take on end times. Then there's his Oscar-nominated dramatic role in The Messenger, which gets its Canadian release next Friday. So what's Harrelson up to this week? Canadians will be pleased to find him kicking criminal butt in Hamilton in the low-budget but high-laughs Defendor. Harrelson stars as Arthur Poppington, a marginal member of Steeltown society who spends his nights battling evil with a Great War trench club, a large silver D duct-taped on his chest. At the Toronto International Film Festival, where Defendor premiered last September, Harrelson shies away from too close a comparison between his vigilante character and the actor's own history of environmental, vegan, peace and marijuana activism. "I believe in vigilantism as it relates to captains of industry," he says, picking up on his character's belief that a man called "Captain Industry" was responsible for the death of his mother. "We've got to take our ecology back. But I don't really believe in the broad sense in vigilantism." He continues: "Is the message [of the film] to go out there and fight crime yourself ? I don't know if that should be the message. But it's just about a guy who cares enough and is passionate enough about what he sees in society that he tries to do something. In that sense, I think it's a pretty hopeful message." Defendor co-stars Kat Dennings ( Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist) as a drug-addled runaway who aligns herself with Harrelson's character; and Canadians Elias Koteas as a bent cop, and Sandra Oh as a criminal psychiatrist trying to understand Poppington/ Defendor. The film was written and directed by 38-year-old Peter Stebbings, a Vancouver actor and former comic-book fan. "When I was about 14, 15, 16, I was into comics and haven't really been ever since," Stebbings says. "I still check them out but I don't buy them." In fact, the genesis of Defendor came from a single panel in Frank Miller's Dark Knight comics of the mid-1980s; it showed a Batman imitator who has just killed a man. "He has sort of patchy hair and he's none too bright ... I said, 'Somebody ought to write a story about that guy.' " Harrelson clearly responded to something in the writing. "I like the fact that my agent doesn't just send me moneymaking scripts," he says. "He just cares about the quality of the work. I read the script and I thought it was wonderfully written, just completely original, and I'd never seen anything like it." He did some research into fetal alcohol syndrome, which the film suggests (but never openly states) is part of Poppington's problem. "I could have easily overdone certain things and tried to overplay his mental challenges, but I think the way to go is just to try to simplify and play him more childlike." And although his character sounds at times like Christian Bale's Batman channelling Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry, Harrelson says he wasn't pitching for any particular note in his delivery. "Only in the sense of the persona that he puts on," the actor says. "So in the sense of: How would Batman say it, or how would his perception of a kind of Clint Eastwood type of superhero say it? But I didn't really study superhero movies. I probably should have." Harrelson hasn't been highly visible in recent years -- his highest-profile role of late was probably as the bounty hunter Carson Wells in 2007's No Country for Old Men -- but he's making up for it. "At this point I feel really psyched about everything because I have five really good movies in the can, including The Messenger, which is one of the movies I'm most proud of being a part of." This was before the Oscar nominations, but clearly his Academy senses were tingling. And he's not worried about the long-term effects of a little time off. "It's like I say sometimes, I'm a good worker and a hard worker, but I'm a world-class slacker. I can go through a day with no plans like nobody's business. I really love not having anything to do." Perhaps after Oscar season, he can take it easy again. cknight@nationalpost.com Credit: Chris Knight; National Post [Illustration] Color Photo: Alliance / It's not a bird, it's just plain ol' Woody Harrelson, donning a silver D duct-taped to his chest.; Caption: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100224/0c69b2a7/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Wed Feb 24 23:26:29 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Wed Feb 24 23:28:11 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Chronic teen car thief avoids jail: Winnipeg Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100224232620.03e170c0@ncf.ca> "...the boy has been diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and alcohol related neuro-developmental disorder..." "...Garfinkel likened jailing the boy to jailing somebody because they suffer from multiple sclerosis...." rhttp://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Crime/2010/01/06/12361161-sun.html cnews crime January 6, 2010 Chronic teen car thief avoids jail Judge grants home confinement instead of jail, with catch By DEAN PRITCHARD, QMI Agency WINNIPEG -- A Level 4 car thief who led police on a dangerous high speed chase is better off at home, not sitting in a jail cell, a judge ruled Monday. "What is he going to learn in jail?" said Judge Marvin Garfinkel. "How better to pick locks?" The 15-year-old boy pleaded guilty to possession of goods obtained by crime and failing to comply with a probation order and was sentenced to six months deferred custody. If he is re-arrested, he will serve the sentence in jail. "If he messes up once, he is in jail," Garfinkel said. Deferred custody will "also keep him away from influences within the institution." Crown attorney Liz Pats told Garfinkel it's a sure bet the boy will continue stealing cars and recommended he be sentenced to another 90 days custody and community supervision. "He's a car thief and if he's not stealing them, he's in them," Pats said. "There is no doubt that when he is finished serving whatever sentence your honour sees fit to give him, he will be back ... (The boy) is dangerous and a deferred custody order does not address that." The boy is the younger brother of an 18-year-old man accused of driving a stolen Hummer involved in a crash that killed 47-year-old Zdzislaw Andrzecjzak. Another brother, also a prolific car thief, is serving a prison sentence for shooting a man. "His record is probably longer than both of his brothers combined," Pats said. Court heard the boy has been diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and alcohol related neuro-developmental disorder and suffers from "poor impulse control." Garfinkel said the Youth Criminal Justice Act prevents judges from considering denunciation and deterrence in sentencing. Garfinkel likened jailing the boy to jailing somebody because they suffer from multiple sclerosis. "Haven't we evolved as a society to say that we have to take into account the condition of the individual, that we have to craft a sentence unique to the person?" he said. Garfinkel rejected the Crown's call for custody. "It seems to me that Parliament is mandating something else. If you don't like what the judges do, elect people to Parliament who will change the laws so that judges will do what you want them to do." The boy was arrested last November after he and two other teens -- including the younger sister of "laughing girl," the teen infamous for laughing to police about a fatal stolen car crash -- were spotted driving along Portage Avenue in a stolen 2004 GMC Yukon. The teens fled police at speeds reaching 100 km/h, blowing through stop signs and red lights and running over sidewalks. At one point, after striking a median, the Yukon spun around and drove straight at police, narrowly missing them. The chase ended at the St. Charles Country Club where the teens abandoned the vehicle and were quickly captured. "It's amazing that nobody was killed," Pats said. Garfinkel didn't impose a term of probation. The boy is already bound by three probation orders that don't expire for another two years. Garfinkel ordered that the boy have no contact with his two co-accused and that he not be allowed in a vehicle without the owner's permission. dean.pritchard@sunmedia.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100224/ab25b8b0/attachment-0001.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 25 09:38:10 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 25 09:40:11 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] FASD Ontario News: submissions to April edition wanted Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100225093802.020ca368@ncf.ca> Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:59:22 -0500 From: "Burgoyne, Wendy" Subject: Submissions to April edition of FASD Ontario News Reminder ? the deadline for submissions is March 15. Wendy From: Burgoyne, Wendy Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 12:07 PM To: apolnet-l@list.web.ca Subject: Submissions to April edition of FASD Ontario News The next edition of FASD Ontario News will be released in early April, 2010. Submissions of photos and/or brief articles are welcome ? see below for details. The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2010. 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, decorations, logos, banners, displays etc. FASD Ontario News is developed by FASD Ontario Network of Expertise to help people in Ontario work together to address FASD. This newsletter reports on the activities of FASD Ontario Network of Expertise 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. Submissions and content suggestions are welcome. Examples include: -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 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 Interim Best Start Manager 418 Mary Street East Thunder Bay, ON P7E 4K3 1-800-397-9567 x2279 w.burgoyne@healthnexus.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: /pipermail/fasd_canadian_link/attachments/20100225/10ad190d/attachment.html From rosse at ncf.ca Thu Feb 25 13:12:40 2010 From: rosse at ncf.ca (Elspeth Ross) Date: Thu Feb 25 13:16:15 2010 Subject: [Fasd_canadian_link] Ontario: Health Nexus raises funds for healthy pregnancies through LCBO's in-store donation program Message-ID: <6.2.5.6.2.20100225131230.04833488@ncf.ca> [LCBO is the Liquor Control Board of Ontario] On Behalf Of Burgoyne, Wendy Sent: 2010-02-25 10:01 AM Subject: [Mnchp] HEALTH NEXUS RAISES FUNDS FOR HEALTHY PREGNANCIES THROUGH LCBO'S IN-STORE DONATION PROGRAM February 25, 2010 HEALTH NEXUS RAISES FUNDS FOR HEALTHY PREGNANCIES THROUGH LCBO'S IN-STORE DONATION PROGRAM Starting March 1, the public can help Health Nexus, Ontario's leading bilingual health promotion organization, to raise awareness about alcohol and pregnancy by making a donation at 611 stores throughout Ontario. Donation boxes for Health Nexus' key program, the Best Start Resource Centre, will be displayed at LCBO checkout counters until March 31. The Best Start Resource Centre supports service providers across Ontario to improve the health of pregnant women, infants and young children. Best Start Resource Centre provides training, consultation and networking opportunities for service providers, and develops needed resources and awareness campaigns. Over the last five years, there has been a focus on province-wide strategies to raise awareness about the risks of drinking alcohol during pregnancy and to improve the skills of health care providers around alcohol use in pregnancy. LCBO has supported these strategies by including information in its stores, and in its FOOD&DRINK magazine. Funds raised through donations will be used to promote healthy pregnancies and healthy babies, with a focus on alcohol use in pregnancy. "Best Start Resource Centre appreciates the ongoing commitment from LCBO in sharing important information about the risks of alcohol use in pregnancy," says Best Start Manager Wendy Burgoyne. "LCBO's province-wide store network helps raise public awareness about alcohol and pregnancy, and we appreciate the support from LCBO staff and especially its customers." "We are pleased to partner with Health Nexus and support its Best Start Resource Centre through our in-store donation program," says LCBO President and CEO Bob Peter. "LCBO's customers and staff always give generously to help their fellow Ontarians and we appreciate their contributions to these worthy causes." Best Start Resource Centre is one of 26 provincial, as well as numerous local charities, that will benefit from the LCBO's province-wide donation box program in 2010. In 2009, LCBO raised a total of $4.2 million for charities through special programs and initiatives, of which $3.8 million was raised through in-store fundraising. In addition, LCBO's annual dividend transfer to the Ontario government, which totaled $1.4 billion in fiscal 2008-09, excluding taxes, supports a wide range of important government programs, services and priorities, including health care and education. The Best Start Resource Centre thanks the public for its support when shopping at their local LCBO store during March. -30- Media Contacts: Wendy Burgoyne Interim Best Start Manager Tel: 1-800-397-9567 x2279 Email: w.burgoyne@healthnexus.ca Stephanie Petroff LCBO Senior Communications Consultant Tel: 416-864-6792 E-mail: stephanie.petroff@lcbo.com Wendy Burgoyne Interim Best Start Manager 418 Mary Street East Thunder Bay, ON P7E 4K3 1-800-397-9567 x2279 w.burgoyne@healthnexus.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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