IHR provides FASD-related services on behalf of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health/Bureau of Substance Abuse Services and Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition/Division for Perinatal, Early Childhood, and Special Health Needs.
FASD coordination consists of the following:
- Serve as a centralized resource for issues related to FASD
- Develop and build a FASD Task Force
- Provide FASD trainings upon request to a variety of state and local organizations
- Provide diagnostic and intervention resources to families of children and young adults who may have a FASD
- Build FASD diagnostic capacity with Boston Children’s Hospital; maintain a list of other in-state resources
- Provide FASD prevention, identification, and intervention training and resources to DPH/BSAS licensed ambulatory and residential treatment programs
- Fulfill duties of state coordinator through SAMHSA FASD Center for Excellence National Association of FASD State Coordinators
Screening for FASD Risk in Early Intervention Settings
Prenatal alcohol exposure can result in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), which can include physical and neurobehavioral disorders, including cognitive, social, language and motor impairments that can persist throughout life. In order for children with FASD to receive the full benefit of services, recognition of their disability needs to be made earlier and more accurately than is common today. Early identification of a FASD helps to focus targeted treatments, reduce unnecessary medical steps and redundancy in medical care, and increase the likelihood of efficacious interventions. IHR engaged in the development and implementation of an innovative brief screening tool designed to screen for FASD risk in Early Intervention (EI) settings. Feasibility was demonstrated by a screening rate of 1,161 (61%) of 1,896 available children.
For training, technical assistance, or resources, please contact Enid Watson, Director of Screening and Early Identification, at enidwatson@healthrecovery.org.