Louisiana LEND scholars create Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) fact sheet asking “what will Louisiana do?”

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Scholars from the Louisiana LEND program created a factsheet about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs).

Louisiana LEND is a training program for graduate students, self-advocates, families of individuals with disabilities, and professionals working in disability or healthcare. LEND stands for Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities.

A Fact Sheet is a sheet of paper that gives important information about a specific issue.

FASDs are a group of medical conditions that someone may have whose mother drank alcohol during their pregnancy. Someone with FASD may have developmental delays and problems with learning or behavior.

FASDs and the Foster Care System

Scholars from the Louisiana LEND program at the LSU Health Human Development Center (HDC) created fact sheets about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs). LEND scholars will present the fact sheet to Louisiana legislators and local policymakers, educating them on the need for measures that prevent FASD.

FASD is the umbrella term for conditions that can occur from prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). PAE can cause, among many things, inconsistent development, learning difficulties, poor impulse control, and problems with memory and executive functioning. According to the CDC, approximately 1 in 20 school-age children have an FASD.

Addressing the emerging need of FASD is a newly established goal of both the Human Development Center and its Louisiana LEND program. Louisiana LEND’s Policy and Advocacy Coordinator Liz Gary states, “FASDS are 100% preventable, but people are unaware of how to prevent it. It’s important that we educate policymakers statewide because their policies directly affect the people they serve and provoke systematic change.”

FASD Summit comes to LSU Health New Orleans June 16-17, 2023

HDC will host a meeting about FASD on June 16-17. The meeting will take place at LSU Health New Orleans.

Individuals with FASD, their families, and agencies that support them are invited to attend. If you would like to attend the FASD meeting, email Jolie at jrob44@lsuhsc.edu

Join the Human Development Center for a FASD workshop and strategic planning on the LSU Health New Orleans campus from June 16-17. The workshop will include three strands:

1. Prevalence, screening, and diagnosis
2. Strategies to support learning and mental health challenges
3. Family/caretaker and self-advocate supports

After identifying FASD as an emerging need in Louisiana, HDC seeks to enlist input and participation from agencies, families, individuals with FASD, and others who may be able to contribute to/benefit from enhanced services/supports for individuals with FASD and their families/caretakers. If you are interested in attending the FASD workshop or strategic meeting, please email Jolie Robichaux at jrob44@lsuhs.cedu.

About the Louisiana LEND program

LEND Programs teach people who will work with children with disabilities how to:

– Find out if a child has disabilities

– Work as a team to support families and children

– Fix problems in systems that support children and families with disabilities

The Human Development Center at LSU Health New Orleans hosts the Louisiana Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) program, a nine-month interdisciplinary training program for students at LSU Health New Orleans, practicing professionals in healthcare and education, self-advocates, and families of individuals with disabilities. LEND prepares scholars to become future leaders that prioritize the needs of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), other neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD), and developmental disabilities (DD) and their families through advocacy, family engagement, and Maternal Child Health principles.

Interested in joining the Louisiana LEND program?

We are now recruiting for the 2023-24 cohort!