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…

Dr. Sarah Mattson is a leading researcher in the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD) with a deep passion for understanding FASD and how the brain impacts behavior. Dr. Mattson’s current focus is on developing new screening tools that are more accessible to families and professionals, including BRAIN-online, an evidence-based screening tool for…

In the FASD community, we continue to make great progress, yet much more work is needed.  National FASD Impact Week is coming up this September 15-17 in Washington, DC.  Join us for three days of advocacy, action, collaboration, and community.  Here are 5 reasons why the FASD community needs Impact Week:  1. FASD is not…

As the FASD United team gears up for this September’s National FASD Impact Week, staff members are sharing their reflections on some of our past Impact Week events and activities.  An incredible opportunity to bring the FASD community together during FASD Awareness Month in September, Impact Week always features a strong series of workshops, advocacy,…

“Thank you so much for all you do,” a social worker told Diana Ling right after she introduced herself.  Diana, Senior Program Manager at the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute (HBRT) at The University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin), was exhibiting at the national conference of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) last…

The FASD community came out in force for the 9th International Research Conference on FASD, hosted by FASD United this past March in Seattle, Washington.  Attendees, including leading international experts on FASD, researchers/scientists, dedicated clinicians, advocates, families, and self-advocates, reflected on their experiences.  We’d like to share some of these reflections, many of which were…

“This sure is different when it’s me on the hot seat,” Barb Clark told herself as she repeated back a list of 16 items.  This was the fourth and final time she was asked to name as many items as she could remember.  Again, she caught herself adding a word that she knew wasn’t on…

The FASD United team is thrilled to welcome five exceptional leaders to our Board of Directors: Michael Keawe Anderson, Karen A. Poteet, Jaqueline Cortez Wang, Kate Boyce Reeder, and William J. Edwards.  These talented leaders exemplify leadership, service, and accountability and are committed to advancing progress for people with FASD.   Our new Board Members…

As we wrap up Alcohol Awareness Month this April, we are taking a deep dive into disability and alcohol use disorder, two crucial topics that are intertwined when it comes to FASD and prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE).  The stigma around disability is compounded by the stigma around alcohol addiction.  People with disabilities, including people with…