An important facet of celebrating and advocating for FASDs are knowing what they are, who they impact, and how you participate. This is why week one of FASD Awareness Month is themed Learn. Be it within your hometown or even our nation’s capital, there are meaningful and impactful things you can learn to make you into a more knowledgeable ally. Increasing your familiarity with FASD and its community will allow you to move through Awareness Month with ease! Ready?

Download, share, and utilize our 2023 Awareness Month Toolkit!
Learn how to send a letter of support for The FASD Respect Act in honor of FASD Awareness month to your two Senators and one Representative. If passed, these bills would provide much needed supports, services, and interventions for the FASD community. Stay updated with our policy center!
Check out the CDC’s Learning Connection Training website for their FASD Primer for Healthcare Professionals.
Want to know how to obtain a proclamation for FASD Awareness Month or FASD Awareness Day issued at a state or local level? This can be done in States, Cities, Townships, Municipalities and School Districts. Click here for instructions and more information.
Attend a training and learn more about FASDs! Our events calendar has an ever growing list of events and trainings on FASD.
Learn about and from those with FASDs. Discover and listen to what they have to say.
Look into the value of positivity and strengths-based research. Want to know about strengths-based approaches? Interested in FASD research like this?
Check out The FASD Collaborative to explore a cohesive collection of resources.
Utilize FASD United’s (made in collaboration with CDC partners) 50 Things for 50 Years document

Being there for individuals with FASDs is what’s most important, this allows the FASD community to feel seen and heard. This neurodiversity may feel isolating, but it’s important to remember and remind that one is never alone! To aid in this reminder, FASD United’s week two theme is Be. There are ways to connect with others, build community, and be yourself from wherever you are throughout Awareness Month and after.

An advocate: Schedule a meeting with your federal legislators to ask them to support the FASD Respect Act. We’ll help! Find out how to go about it here.
A friend: Compliment someone with an FASD, and make sure they feel valued. Send them a Stars for Starla Youth Recognition Award.
An ally: Gain knowledge about what FASDs are, and how it may impact those around you. Start a conversation. Look into meaningful sources.
A light: Know someone who could use some help? Direct them to the Family Navigator for referrals to resources and supports in their area.
A reason: Advocacy can be stressful and tiring, but we must keep pushing onward. Give somebody a reason to look further into FASDs and themselves.

FASDs and those with them need recognized support in legal, communal, and familial spaces. Understanding and practicing the realities and logistics of FASD awareness help to achieve this. To become more involved in FASD action, specifically during National Impact Week, FASD United presents Do. While week three is when the FASD community travels to the US Capitol, there are plenty of efforts to be made in every type of setting.

Volunteer. Did you know that many members of the FASD United Affiliate Network are 100% volunteer ran? Find out who the Affiliate is in your area and see if they have any volunteer work you can take on. Don’t have an affiliate? Consider approaching local non-profits offering FASD related services and supports and asking them to join or consider forming your own.
Show a youth with FASD your support and appreciation of their strengths and talents by sending them a Stars for Starla Youth Recognition Award.
Participate or fundraise for Run FASD. Run FASD is a virtual 5k that you can run, walk, swim, ride or roll created by Self Advocate, Rebecca Tillou. You can participate on your own or by joining one of the number of groups coming together to build community. To find group runs in your area or to register.
Consider making a donation. Funding for FASD typically covers research and prevention efforts, help FASD United to continue to provide advocacy and support through a one time or recurring donation.
National Impact Week occurs September 18th-21st, this includes the Red Shoes Gala, Affiliate Summit, National Research Briefing, and Hill Day. Even if you are not in DC, there are ways to show your support!

Our words have power- which is why week four of Awareness Month is themed Say. The ways we interact with people sets the tone of our movement; be it someone with an FASD, a community member, a politician or legislator, or even yourself– speak with passion, intelligence, and kindness. When we purposefully direct speech and voice, to be heard rather than just acknowledged to, we can accomplish big things!

Issue a press release or publish a letter to the editor of your local paper. This is at the individual, organizational, and legislative levels.
When expressing yourself and your thoughts, consider our 2023 Advocacy Guide!
Consider how you can be an effective advocate.

Despite the prevalence of FASD, it is still thought of as rare. By raising the profile of FASD and prenatal alcohol exposure in a non-stigmatizing way, we can inhibit communal awareness of FASDs while increasing the level of support and understanding for people diagnosed. There are individuals with FASD or prenatal alcohol exposure in all of our communities. FASD United presents our final theme Share for ideas on how you can help reach others and spread the word about FASDs to create a more just society.

Your Story

We know people’s FASD journeys can encapsulate a wide range of emotions. Whether your story is intense, enlightening, filled with victory or hardships- we want to hear from our self-advocates, caregivers, and medical professionals. What have you experienced? Let us know by filling out the form below, following September we will release a word cloud corresponding to these experiences.

Access the Share Your Story Survey HERE or by scanning the QR code below.

Your Run FASD Results:

Run FASD 2023 events both virtual and in-person occur through September Awareness Month, enter your race results here! To submit photos, videos, or other information click here.

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What someone with an FASD means to you:

Our Stars for Starla program is a hopeful, positive program that honors Starla’s legacy by providing youth with FASDs a recognition award. Whatever the reason, awareness month is the season! If you don’t want to use this program, share with them in-person or make an effort in other ways.

Tell someone with an FASD that you appreciate their efforts here. Questions or concerns?

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FASD@50 Social Media:

Add FASD related content to your social media either by downloading from this link or by sharing the information posted on FASD United’s social media. Find us on social media (also listed at bottom of website) @fasdunited.

Awareness Month Sample Captions:

Celebrate #FASDAwareness Month with me! FASDs may impact one in every twenty youth in the #US so we continue to advocate for disability rights throughout the country. #FASD50   
It’s the 50th anniversary of #FASD! We’ve come a long way since the US’ first diagnosis of 1973, but we still have a ways to go. Join the nation-wide movement for FASD services, support, and strengths-based evaluation. #RespectThePast #EmbraceTheFuture   
September is #FASDAwarenessMonth! This year we celebrate the 50th year of #US FASD diagnosis originally from The University of #Washington. Join me in advocating for disability rights!   
FASD is a #NationalHealthPriority. 2023 is the 50th year since FASD #diagnosis in the US & we continue to fight for individuals and populations living with developmental disabilities.   
Although it’s the 50th year since #FASD was first identified in the US, we believe political, social, and economic  resources should be available to this resilient population. Want to join this movement? Find out how you can @ fasdunited.org.  
Welcome to #FASDAwarenessMonth and FASD’s 50th year! Want to support a cause close to my heart? Donate now at https://fasdunited.org/donate/  
The US’ first diagnosis of #FASD was 50 years ago. Unfortunately, services for impacted individuals are still lacking. Let’s respect the past and embrace the future of FASDs! #FASD50  
Support and services for those with #FASDs are crucial! We continue to urge legislators to learn more about this developmental disability. The #FASDRespect Act 2.0 does too, find out more @ nofaspolicycenter.org. 
Support healthy pregnancies and pregnant individuals! Do not drink alcohol or use substances if pregnant or if planning to become pregnant. #SupportforFASD https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fasd/interventions.html  
FASD is a societal issue- #Notawomensissue. This September Awareness Month, let’s emphasize the narrative that #FASD is about disparities in resources, services, and supports. #StopTheStigma  
FASD occurs throughout the lifespan. Symptoms of FASDs are destined to change with age uniquely for each individual. Lifelong services and tools are needed to best support those with developmental disabilities. #ThroughTheLifespan   
FASDs are #NotRare. 1 in 20 school-children is not rare. What ARE rare are adequate resources and services that allow individuals with FASDs to thrive w/o stigma and misunderstanding. #1in20 #FASDMisconceptions    
FASD #canlooklike other disabilities. Although ASD, ADHD, and mood disorders are forms of neurodiversity, FASDs are unique in their presentation and require specific treatments. #earlyintervention
Alcohol-use amounts may be difficult to define and challenging to apply to large populations. Light OR heavy– Any amount of alcohol is dangerous to a developing fetus. The most ideal outcome is that drinking stops before and during any pregnancy attempt. #FASD50  
FASD is too often a #hiddendisability, making its unique services and supports necessary for illumination on a wide-scale level. Individuals with FASDs do not deserve to live in the dark. Let’s bring their voices to the light!  
FASD is a diagnosis, not a definition. While being diagnosed with an #FASD may come with certain adjustments or understanding—the diagnosis is just that. Refrain from passing judgement on others or yourself because of medical identification.  
The voices of individuals living with #FASD are crucial and we need to amplify the voices of the lived experience. FASD is a topic of nuance, and requires that we learn from the best source there is—people with them!  
It’s important to both address and counter the stigma that surrounds FASDs and their community. It exists, yet we are stronger than any doubt or miseducation. #FASDAwareness Month is the perfect opportunity to educate and inform others on the realities of this topic.  
People with FASD have strengths, as well as challenges. However, as we learned from #YesICan and #YesIAm, strengths-based research can help highlight these individuals’ fortitude. This allows them to view themselves, and their world with more grace. 
Pregnant people with alcohol use disorders should receive support, not punishment. Alcohol screening and priority access to meaningful treatment are important. Certain socio-economic factors impact one’s ability to receive proper support, but we will not give up! #equalaccess #stopthestigma 
Systems of care should be #FASD informed. Be it medical, educational, or familial—people with FASDs deserve our informed understanding so they may feel supported in differing settings. #FASDCaregivers #Educators #MedicalSupport 

Sample media graphics to use this month: Download HERE:

Social media captions to use this month:

Downloadable Zoom Backgrounds:

To Donate to FASD United:

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