Advancing a national agenda for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: Contributions of the National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect

Since fetal alcohol syndrome was first identified in 1973, efforts have been underway to prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancies and to improve the lives of people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) and their families. While significant progress has been made, alcohol use continues to be prevalent among women of childbearing age. FASDs can cause serious, lifelong disabilities, thus, it is also critical to address issues of individuals already living with FASDs and their families. Federally mandated in 2000, the National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect was an advisory committee established to advise and foster coordination among agencies, academic bodies, clinicians, and community groups regarding FASD research, surveillance, and prevention and intervention programs, and to address the needs of individuals living with FASDs and their families. This committee, coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, was a diverse, multi-disciplinary group of experts in the fields of FASD and alcohol use. During its seven-year tenure, this Task Force, in collaboration with partner organizations, successfully contributed to key advances in the field of FASD. Several examples of its accomplishments will be discussed in this presentation, including two Task Force reports and recommendations. One report highlights effective prevention strategies to reduce alcohol-exposed pregnancies, while the other calls for ongoing efforts to improve services and enhance research on FASDs. Plans to disseminate Task Force reports and to implement Task Force report recommendations will be discussed.