10/09/2026
September is Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Month and yesterday was International FASD Day.
I spent the day attending a virtual conference on FASD and Developmental Trauma that was hosted by Dr Jack Purrington of Chrysalis Associates - a Yorkshire-based centre of excellence in the assessment and treatment of developmental trauma and attachment difficulties.
I was surprised to learn that research shows that FASD:
⢠Is a lifelong (Neurodevelopmental) condition that is more prevalent than Autism (4% of the population compared to 1% for Autism)
⢠Affects up to about 31% of children in childcare settings (day nurseries, pre-schools, childminders, and school-based wraparound care).
⢠Over 40% of people with FASD have an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACEs) trauma score of 4+, and threat and deprivation lead to different types of adverse outcomes.
⢠Research suggests that pre-conception alcohol consumption by a prospective father can damage s***m cells and affect a foetus.
⢠Both prospective parents are advised to stop drinking before attempting to get pregnant.
⢠Whilst FASD is not hereditary, genes in the foetus can still be affected by it.
The conference opened with a couple of video heart-breaking interviews with exhausted women who had adopted children with FASD (and other Neurodevelopmental conditions).
The numerous injuries theyâd received from their FASD child over the years combined with huge amounts of stress theyâd experienced (including attempting to navigate systems that lack FASD knowledge and the lack of empathy from professionals about the difficulties and trauma the caregivers faced on a daily basis â such as the 94 times in three months that one child was arrested) would have been enough to tear most families apart.
Which is why the women couldnât thank the team at Chrysalis Associates enough for helping to turn around their childrenâs and their familiesâ lives â something they thought might never happen.
I was blown away by the inspirational empathy, compassion and knowledge of the speakers, in particular:
⢠Sandra Butcher - the CEO of the charity National FASD which provides support to people with FASD, their families and communities; campaigns to raise public awareness; and promotes relevant policies and practices. I was deeply moved by the personal experiences she shared about the difficulties she, her family and their adopted son with ADHD, Autism and FASD encountered in their long, confusing and stressful journey to understand his complex needs and get him appropriate help and support.
⢠When he knew she was going to be a guest speaker at the conference he specifically asked her to share a message with us - âdonât send kids with special needs to mainstream schoolsâ. How telling is that?!
⢠Dr Alan Price of The University of Salford who talked about FASD research such as:
(a) what is known - FASD is more common than Autism; traumatic experiences can result in biological changes which can be passed onto offspring; up to 15% of people in prison are estimated to have FASD.
(b) what isnât known â the proportion of parents/carers of FASD and/or other Neurodivergent children (eg. ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, etc) who are Neurodivergent themselves.
(c) the need for more research to better understand the complex mixture of pre and post-natal adversities to improve prognoses and provide better tailored support and interventions.
⢠Tom Oates â Head Teacher at Barnsley Virtual School who highlighted the importance of trauma-informed and Neuordevelopmentally informed educational support in order to make a difference to a childâs academic experiences.
He explained that over 90% of Barnsleyâs FASD/Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE) students have been exposed to at least one traumatic event, and children who have needed a social worker are around three times more likely to be persistently absent from school than their peers.
The good news is that in Barnsley things are changing, thanks to using an assessment and intervention app called Motional which assesses and tracks social engagement, social defence and Executive Functioning so that treatment and support can be targeted to individuals as required.
⢠Dr Jacqueline Lynch - a Director of Chrysalis Associates who explained about the evidence-based therapeutic approaches they use for assessments and treatments for people affected by FASD, developmental trauma and attachment difficulties.
Awareness, empathy and understanding about FASD in the UK seems to be slightly more than there was for hoarding behaviours when I became a Professional Organiser in 2011, and about the same as ADHD was when I first became a Trustee of an adult ADHD support group in 2020.
By helping to raise awareness of these very emotive subjects those of us who work 1:1 with people affected by them have successfully:
- Increased awareness of the conditions, the safety issues and complex challenges associated with them and the need for empathy when working with those affected - particularly amongst health and social care professionals.
- Improved self-advocacy options for individuals wanting help and support - hence the rapid rise in the number of support groups and conversation starters such as the Hoarding Ice-Breaker Form.
- Improved referral pathways (including through Social Prescribers) and increased availability of assessments.
- Improved practical support for those impacted - including families and communities - although more still needs to be done.
My hope is awareness and understanding of FASD will improve the same way, and people will resist making alcohol consumption part of their routine â especially if theyâre considering becoming a parent.
