LOUISE GRAY • Guest Opinion
Louise Gray is ambassador, Canada FASD Research Network, Nova Scotia
An estimated 38,800 people in Nova Scotia have a lifelong disorder that has irreversible impacts on their brain and body.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, or FASD, refers to the range of impacts that can occur on someone who was exposed to alcohol in the womb. Early intervention and diagnosis is key to ensuring people with FASD have the supports they need to succeed. Despite the fact that this disorder affects more people than autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome combined, it often goes ignored in our province.
Prenatal alcohol exposure can harm brain and body development, resulting in a range of possible effects, from memory challenges to physical health issues.
When unsupported, people with FASD have high rates of mental health challenges and substance-use concerns, and are more likely to become involved with the justice system or become homeless.
People with FASD deserve supports and services that will help them reach their full potential.
Other provinces and territories have dedicated funding and resources to this disability. The western provinces and the territories all have specific services for FASD prevention, diagnosis and interventions. Many have intergovernmental committees that oversee the multiple and complex intersections within government for these individuals and families.
The New Brunswick Centre of Excellence for FASD, in addition to providing services, is working towards a provincial strategy for FASD with the ministries of health, education, social services, justice, child welfare, status of women and Indigenous relations.
Ontario has just increased its diagnostic capacity for FASD across the province and it funds many family support networks. Many provinces and territories have joined the Canada FASD Research Network to drive evidence-based policy and practice in their areas and are experiencing much better outcomes for people with FASD in their areas as a result.
Here in Nova Scotia, our government funds no specialized FASD diagnostic or prevention services, nor does it have any FASD-informed intervention services.
Consider that for a second. There are no visible supports for the almost 40,000 people in our province affected by FASD. There are no services to help these individuals succeed. Nor are there dedicated services to identify people who have this disability, or to prevent future cases of FASD.
This seems unbelievable when you consider the resources we’ve allocated to other disabilities, like autism. Everyone deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential, but people with FASD seem to be constantly ignored and overlooked in our province.
Nova Scotians have raised this issue before, to no avail. Nothing has changed. In fact, the pandemic has likely made things worse.
We need our government to lift the lid on FASD and see it as the complex and prevailing disability it is. We need more services to prevent this disability and to diagnose and support people with it. We need to use the evidence we have to make sure our current supports can be used to their full potential.
This election can be a catalyst for change. It’s time for FASD to become visible.
