CanFASD series on FASD FAQ's Part 1

CanFASD recently gave the Rural FASD Support Network permission to use the series of videos Dr. Ana Hanlon-Dearman created where she answers some of the common questions people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and their caregivers have. In the first video which is located in CanFASD's Foundations in FASD online course, Dr. Hanlon-Dearman answers the question “When someone gets their diagnosis of FASD, what should they do next?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRHobJg9ZcE&list=PLBhdT-nylDEM80KSG-J4vmfyE5L8q7WwW

Within this video, Dr. Hanlon-Dearman speaks to the importance of a strong community. For a child, that community includes their school, their pediatrician, their counselor, and their social worker. The Rural FASD Support Network has hosted two information forums for over 150 area service providers in the past year using the model Citizen Advocacy Ottawa has used in training over 4500 service providers over the past five years. The benefits of this education has led to the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario to develop a multi-disciplinary team to support students with FASD successfully with the evidence to prove it. However, when you consider that only three publicly funded school boards in Ontario have a strategy on how to support students with FASD, further awareness is needed.

While Canada leads the world in FASD diagnostics having established the 2015 Guidelines, there are only four hospitals in Ontario who can diagnose adults with FASD. The biggest reason for this is a lack of an OHIP code for FASD diagnosis. Alberta and British Columbia tracks FASD prevalence and have proven the effectiveness of multidisciplinary clinics dedicated to supporting those with FASD. They have also seen the financial benefit of doing so. Since adopting their FASD strategies ten years ago, they have seen decreases in the cost of health, education, correctional facilities, employment welfare, mental health supports, and children protection services. http://fasd.alberta.ca/documents/year-7-evaluation-key-findings-and-recommendations.pdf
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/health/managing-your-health/fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder/fetal_alcohol_spectrum_disorder_building_strengths.pdf CanFASD recently released a study done by Dr. Popova who used evidence-based research to determine FASD is costing Canada 1.8 billion dollars a year annually or Ontario $600,000,000 annually. https://canfasd.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2016/05/IssuePaper_CostFASD-Final.pdf It should also be noted that there are approximately 300,000 Ontarians with FASD and 800 of them are being diagnosed annually at a cost of $4000 per person of which $2500 must be covered by the individual. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0060434

Dr. Hanlon-Dearman also speaks to the importance of using community services. However, in Ontario, because a diagnosis of FASD does not meet the eligibility criteria for Passport Funding unlike intellectual disabilities and Autism, there are extremely limited options for support. This is why the Rural FASD Support Network is asking for the eligibility criteria be changed to include FASD. Additional funding is not necessary according to our community support services since the programming and facilities already exists. Only the size of the community will change.

This is why the Rural FASD Support Network is pleased to be sponsored by MPP Steve Clark and supported by MPP Monique Taylor to continue this conversation at Queen’s Park on Monday, February 24 from 10-1 in Room 230. This is a societal stakeholder issue that requires depth of conversation and collaboration and we are pleased to be part of that initiative. We will be joined by individuals with FASD who are willing to share their stories and service providers who have solutions. The Ministries impacted the most by FASD include Health, Education, MCCSS, Mental Health, Housing, Indigenous Affairs, Rural Affairs, MTCU, Finance, and Solicitor General. The Rural FASD Support Network have specialized teams for each of these ministries and are available to meet after the presentation. To schedule those meetings, please contact us at ruralfasd@gmail.com