RELEASE: January 7, 2005

Governor designates “Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness & Prevention Week”

January is National Birth Defects Awareness Month . This year, the Governor's Council on the Prevention of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities is focusing on raising awareness about the most preventable birth defects: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)… previously called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). The FASD Task Force, a committee of the Governor's Council on Prevention, will sponsor special events throughout January to increase public knowledge about FASD.

Acting Governor Richard J. Codey has designated the week of January 9 through 15 as FASD Awareness and Prevention Week , during which time exhibits with distribution materials will be on display in the New Jersey State House.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is entirely preventable. Unfortunately, too often fetuses are injured by exposure to alcohol during the early months of pregnancy, before the woman even knows she is pregnant. The FASD Task Force encourages all women of child-bearing age who might be or plan to be pregnant to stop drinking any alcohol before pregnancy. There is no known safe limit to drinking during pregnancy.

FASD are a spectrum of non-curable, life-long birth defects and physical malformations, caused by women drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Children affected by prenatal alcohol exposure generally show facial abnormalities, pre- and postnatal growth retardation, and central nervous system abnormalities. These latter may include mental retardation, attention deficits, hyperactivity, autistic-like characteristics, memory and learning problems, and poor decision-making abilities. FAS is the most commonly known preventable cause of birth defects that result in mental retardation.

“The adage ‘oh, just have a little drink to relax… just one won't hurt' which family and friends sometimes tell a pregnant woman, is totally wrong, because that one drink can and most likely will harm an unborn child's development in a myriad of ways,” said Human Services Commissioner James M. Davy. As the saying goes, "You cannot drink to your baby's health."

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was first described in 1973 by Drs . Kenneth Lyons Jones, David Smith and others in articles published in The Lancet . Since that time, a wealth of new knowledge on the nature of fetal alcohol-induced injury, the underlying mechanisms of damage and its specificity, concurrent risk factors, and the clinical distinction of alcohol-related deficits from other disorders has been generated.

“ New Jersey has been recognized nationally for taking steps to address drinking alcohol during pregnancy,” said Dr. Michael McCormack, Chair of the New Jersey FASD Task Force and a member of the Governor's Council on Prevention. “Based on a recommendation made by the Governor's Council, the Department of Health and Senior Services established the Perinatal Addictions Program, making substance abuse counselors available in prenatal clinics throughout the state. This has resulted in many pregnant women who consume alcohol during pregnancy being referred to treatment services.”

In 2001, funds were appropriated to establish regional FASD Diagnostic Centers. Since opening their doors, the FASD Centers have screened over 1,000 children and almost 200 have been diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). This has enabled these children to receive appropriate services.

New Jersey is the first state in the nation to establish a Perinatal Addictions Certification Program. By successfully completing this 60-hour course, alcohol and drug counselors, social workers, nurses and physicians and other professionals can become accredited Perinatal Addiction Counselors.

In addition, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – the New Jersey Medical School of Public Health serves as one of four regional FASD Training Centers. Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the New Jersey Regional FASD Training Center works to educate medical students and physicians about the detrimental effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol.

The Department of Human Services, Office for Prevention of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities provides support for community demonstration programs to educate students, physicians, and others about the detrimental effects of alcohol upon fetal development.

“The message we want to get out to all women of childbearing age is that a pregnant woman never drinks alone, and she must not drink for the entire nine months of pregnancy,” said McCormack.

For more information about FASD or ways in which other developmental disabilities may be prevented, contact the Office for Prevention of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities at 609-984-3350.

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