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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Enid Watson, MDiv¹, Norma Finkelstein, PhD¹, Barbara Morse, PhD², and Deborah Gurewich, PhD³. (1) Institute for Health and Recovery, 349 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02159, 6176613991, enidwatson@healthrecovery.org, (2) Fetal Alcohol Education Program, 1975 Main St., Concord, MA 01742, (3) Schneider Institute for Health Policy, MS 035, Brandeis University, 415 South St., Waltham, MA 02454-9110

The Institute for Health and Recovery designed Project Fetal Alcohol Screening for Today (FAST), funded by the SAMHSA Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Center for Excellence, to improve the identification and treatment of children with FASD. This presentation will report on our findings from the Project FAST planning year and first year of implementation, including screening rates, outcomes achieved, and lessons learned to guide replication efforts. .

Prenatal alcohol exposure can produce neurologic, behavioral, and cognitive deficits that can interfere with growth, learning, and socialization of affected individuals. Early identification and treatment of FASD with a simple, quick FASD screening tool can dramatically improve outcomes for children affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. To enhance systems of care for families impacted by alcohol and other drug abuse, Project FAST collaborated with a multi-disciplinary committee to design a screening tool to identify children at risk of FASD in healthcare and Early Intervention settings.

This session will present the outcomes of screening children for risk of FASD in four Early Intervention sites and one Family Practice; the percentages of children who are determined to be at risk of FASD and referred for medical assessment; and the percentages of children actually diagnosed and treated. Additionally, process outcomes will be discussed to assist participants interested in developing their own community-based FASD screening. Strategies for engaging large healthcare systems in pediatric FASD screening will be included that draw on strengths and limitations of these collaborative efforts to increase identification and treatment of children with FASD.

Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to

• Describe components of a FASD screening tool and discuss data collected from implementation of tool.
• Identify FASD systems change issues in healthcare and Early Intervention systems necessary to implement FASD screening.
• Design an action plan for preparing to screen for FASD screening in the participant’s community/state.

Keywords: Birth Defects, Children With Special Needs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered

Handout (.pdf format, 344.3 kb)