Author: Andy Kachor
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FASD United’s William Edwards Named Recipient of the American Bar Association’s Paul G. Hearne Award
The American Bar Association (ABA) has selected William “Billy” Edwards as the 2025 winner of the Paul G. Hearne Award for Disability Rights. A member of the FASD United Board of Directors, Edwards is a Deputy Public Defender in the Neurocognitive Disorders Unit of the Office of the Los Angeles County, California, Public Defender, and…
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FASD Respect Act Language Presented to President
November 26th, 2025 It has been over two months since the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 2483), which includes authorization of the FASD Respect Act, passed both chambers of Congress. Yesterday, on November 25th, this bill was presented to the President, marking its final hurdle before officially becoming law. Now…
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Please Take the National Education Survey
Earlier this month, FASD United released its National Education Survey. This year, a small group of educators and FASD advocates worked to enhance the portion of the survey focused on educators and those in the larger education system. Previous years’ surveys have demonstrated that students with FASD and their families often face barriers and challenges…
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FASD United Virtual Policy Forum Rescheduled: Join us December 3rd at 2:00 PM ET!
The Policy Forum originally scheduled for November 26th has been rescheduled for Wednesday, December 3rd at 2:00 PM ET to accommodate for Thanksgiving travel. November provided opportunities to meet with Members of Congress and discuss advocacy strategies, and we hope you will join us for an engaging discussion on what is to come in 2026. The December 3rd Forum will…
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Guidance on Autism and Substance Exposure Raises Concerns and Highlights the Need for Respectful Language and Scientific Accuracy
FASD United shares the concerns raised by leading autism organizations and maternal health organizations regarding new Federal health agency guidance on autism and prenatal substance exposure. These new materials and guidance are a cause for concern within the FASD community. FASD often co-occurs with autism, and prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) often co-occurs with other substance…
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A Historic and Impactful Week of Community, Advocacy, and Action Propels the FASD Field Forward
The FASD community came together for National FASD Impact Week in Washington, DC, proudly hosted by FASD United. Over the course of four jam-packed days last week (September 14-17), advocates, researchers, and families came together to organize, strategize, learn, and celebrate. Through workshops, a symposium, a successful advocacy-filled “Hill Day,” a film screening, and a…
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FASD Expert Mary Kate Weber Shares Lessons Learned and Reflects on a Distinguished Career with CDC’s Prenatal Substance Exposure Surveillance and Research Team
Mary Kate Weber recently retired from CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) after a distinguished career with CDC’s Prenatal Substance Exposure Surveillance and Research team, which has worked at the forefront of our nation’s federal response to the public health challenges of FASD and prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). FASD United is…
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FASD Awareness Month 2025 is Here!
We are so excited to welcome everyone to FASD Awareness Month 2025. It’s a huge month for us and a huge year for all things FASD. Advocacy is ramping up as we make our way towards National FASD Impact Week later this September! FASD United has a range of new resources and exciting program updates…
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FASD NPN Spotlight: National Association of County and City Health Officials and Montana State University
As a presentation on stigma at the 2025 NACCHO360 conference was coming to a close, one of the attendees came up to research scientist Samantha Pinzl seeking resources. Samantha recalled with pride how she was able to connect this person to FASD United’s Family Navigator resources, as well as the resources of other organizations, including…
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FASD United and Partners Publish Special Section in Research Journal on FASD Prevention and Intervention
A special section, “Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Prevention and Intervention,” was included in a recent issue of Substance Use & Addiction Journal (SAj)—the official journal of the Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance use and Addiction. The articles represent the work of 11 cooperative agreements formerly funded by CDC to explore and describe…