CIFASD – Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders – CIFASD coordinates research projects aimed at developing effective intervention and treatment for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)

The purpose of this consortium is to inform and develop effective interventions and treatment approaches for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), through multidisciplinary research involving basic, behavioral and clinical investigators and projects. We hope to develop an infrastructure to foster collaboration and coordinate basic, clinical and translational research on FASD.

CIFASD investigator Dr. Christie Petrenko has spearheaded the development of a new app for caregivers raising children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. The FMF Connect app shows promise as an accessible evidence-based intervention to caregivers who can't access FASD-informed care in their communities. This report will appear in the journal Digital Health.

The Families Moving Forward (FMF) Connect App Shows Promise as an Accessible Intervention for Families Raising Children with FASD

Dr. Claire Coles, CIFASD investigator, found that child trauma is underrecognized and educational services are underutilized in individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, compared to others from similar underserved populations.

Parents of Children with FASD Could Use More Support in Meeting Their Children's Educational Needs

This conference will be held from April 11-14 in Seattle WA, focusing on the important issues faced by individuals with FASD as they become adolescents and adults.

FASD United, in Consultation with the International Adult Leadership Collaborative FASD Changemakers, Organized the 9th International Research Conference on Adolescents and Adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

This April, FASD United recognizes Alcohol Awareness Month as a great opportunity to learn more about the harmful risks of alcohol misuse.

FASD United Recognizes April as Alcohol Awareness Month

University of New Mexico researchers have found that even low to moderate alcohol use by pregnant patients may contribute to subtle changes in their babies' prenatal development, including lower birth length and a shorter duration of gestation.

Even Moderate Alcohol Usage during Pregnancy Linked to Birth Abnormalities

Contrary to some claims, laws that criminalize or otherwise punish drug use during pregnancy are more likely to worsen rather than improve health outcomes, according to a paper by researchers at Columbia University.

Pregnancy Drug Use Laws May Deteriorate Health Outcomes

CIFASD investigator, Dr. Jeff Wozniak, uses brain growth chart to improve identification of individuals with FASD.

Brain Growth Chart Identifies More Children Affected by Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

Pregnancy and infancy characteristics were used to best predict which children would later be diagnosed with a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

CIFASD Investigators Work to Understand How Early Life Factors Help Predict FASD

FASD can affect individuals across the lifespan, but we currently have a limited understanding of how needs change with age.

CIFASD Researchers Improve Our Understanding of the Lifelong Consequences of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure to Improve Clinical Care

The relationship between health and immune function differs between adults with FASD and those without FASD.

New Data Indicate a Link between Inflammatory Markers and Mood in Adults with FASD

BRAIN-online is an online testing tool that measures cognitive ability and behavior in children and adults.

BRAIN-online FASD Screening Tool

Biomarkers could provide a more accurate diagnosis of FASD. See Smithsonian Magazine for story.

New Tools for identifying Fetal Alcohol Exposure

CIFASD researcher, Christie Petrenko and her team of psychologists at the University of Rochester make the case for an approach to FASD based on patients' strengths rather than deficits.

Thriving While Living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)

This advancement will help clinicians more accurately and reliably diagnose FASD.

Dr. Mike Suttie, CIFASD Investigator, Uses Machine Learning to Improve Facial Imaging

Drs. Coles, Kable and Chambers report that preschool aged children exposed to heavy prenatal alcohol exposure had impairments in nonverbal ability and executive functioning that are typically seen in older children. These results suggest that the effects of prenatal alcohol can be identified in preschool children; when children are identified early in life, they can receive needed interventions.

Executive Functioning Problems Identified in Preschoolers with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

If you want to know about tools to help you on your parenting journey you are going to want to listen to the podcast at: https://www.fasdsuccess.com/blog/podcast-episode-072

CIFASD Investigator, Gives Podcast on Changing the Story about FASD
on Jeff Noble’s FASD Success Show

The CIFASD dysmorphology core, headed by Ken Jones and Miguel del Campo, shows that primary physical measurements and subject features used to diagnose an FASD can be reliably evaluated remotely using telemedicine. This will help expand our ability to diagnose FASD worldwide.

Telemedicine Works to Assess the Physical Features of FASD

CIFASD investigators identify potential blood markers for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Drs. Rakesh Miranda and Christina Chambers find that a blood test that may help predict how severely a baby will be affected by alcohol exposure during pregnancy.

CIFASD Investigators Identify Potential Blood Markers

Listen to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder with Dr. Jeffrey Wozniak on NavNeuro.com.

Listen to podcast

CIFASD investigator, Dr. Jeff Wozniak, Discusses FASD in Navigating Neuropsychology Podcast

PBS NewsHour Focuses on FASD:
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are more common than you think.

CIFASD Investigator Dr. Jeff Wozniak Meets with the PBS Team

The CDC released new guidelines urging women of childbearing age to avoid drinking alcohol unless they are using contraception. This new guideline is designed to prevent fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). FASD is a 100 percent preventable condition.

Is It OK To Drink Alcohol While Pregnant? 10 Things You Should Know

In an effort to once and for all put a rest to any debate about drinking during pregnancy, the American Academy of Pediatrics has put out a clear message: Don't do it. Ever. At all. Not even a tiny bit. "No amount of alcohol should be considered safe to drink during any trimester of pregnancy," the group wrote.

No Alcohol during Pregnancy – Ever – Plead U.S. Pediatricians

News

Neurobehavior Data

Phase 1 – data include measures from the Leiter, NES3, DKEFS, CANTAB, CBC and other scales

Phase 2 – data include measures from the Leiter, DKEFS, CANTAB, BRIEF, ASEBA, Vineland, C-DISC, and other scales

Phase 3 – data include measures from the DAS-II, NEPSY-II, CANTAB, BRIEF, ASEBA, Vineland, C-DISC and other scales

Phase 1

[The => will link to detail when provided]

General Intellectual Ability=>Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised (Leiter-R)
Attention and Concentration=>NES3 – Continuous Performance Test (Animals)
Executive Function=>Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (Verbal Fluency, Trail Making); Progressive Planning Test; Visual Discrimination Reversal Learning
Working Memory/Memory=>CANTAB (Spatial Working Memory; Spatial Span; Pattern Recognition Memory; Spatial Recognition Memory); Virtual Water Maze
Visual-Motor=>Visual-Motor Integration Test
Motor/Reaction Time: CANTAB (Motor Screening; Big/Little Circle); Grooved Pegboard Test
Interhemispheric Transfer=> Finger Localization Test
Psychological Symptomatology=> ASEBA (Child Behavior Checklist; Teacher Report Form; Youth Self Report); Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale; Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Scale; Pictorial Depression Scale

Phase 2

General Intellectual Ability=>Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Fourth Edition
Executive Function=> Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (Verbal Fluency, Trail Making; Color-Word Interference; Tower; 20 Questions; Design Fluency); CANTAB (Intra/Extradimensional Shift); BRIEF (Parent Version; Child Version)
Working Memory/Memory=> CANTAB (Spatial Working Memory; Delayed Matching to Sample)
Motor/Reaction Time=> CANTAB (Motor Screening; Big/Little Circle; Simple Reaction Time; Choice Reaction Time)
Psychological Symptomatology=> ASEBA (Child Behavior Checklist; Teacher Report Form; Youth Self Report); Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale; Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Scale; Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, 2nd Edition (Parent/Caregiver Rating Form; Teacher Rating Form); C-DISC Psychiatric Interview (Demographics; GAD; MDD; ADHD; ODD; CD modules)

Phase 3

General Intellectual Ability=> Differential Ability Scales – 2nd Ediction (DAS-II)
Attention and Concentration=> NEPSY-II (Speeded Naming; Arrows)
Executive Function=> CANTAB (Stockings of Cambridge); NEPSY-II (Word Generation; Inhibition); BRIEF (Parent Version)
Working Memory/Memory=> California Verbal Learning Test – Children’s Version (CVLT-C); NEPSY-II (Memory for Names; Memory for Designs: Memory for Faces; Narrative Memory)
Psychological Symptomatology=> ASEBA (Child Behavior Checklist; Teacher Report Form; Youth Self Report); Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale; Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Scale; Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, 2nd Edition (Parent/Caregiver Rating Form; Teacher Rating Form); C-DISC Psychiatric Interview (Demographics; GAD; MDD; ADHD; ODD; CD modules)

Phase 4

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – 5th Edition (WISC-V)
Delis Kaplan Executive Function Scale (D-KEFS): Trail-making, Verbal Fluency, & Color Word Interference subtests
NIH Toolbox: Picture Sequence Memory, Dimensional Card Sort, Flanker, List Sorting subtests
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test – 3rd Edition (WIAT-III): Numerical operations, Word reading, Math problem solving subtests
Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales
Behavior Assessment System for Children – 3rd Edition (BASC-3)
Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)
Delis Rating of Executive Function (D-REF)

Phase 2:

Available data from Phase 2 were collected across six sites:
(1) Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA;
(2) Emory University, Atlanta, GA;
(3) the University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA;
(4) University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM;
(5) Seven Northern Plains communities, including six Indian reservations; and
(6) Omni-Net locations in Ukraine: the Rivne Diagnostic Center and the Khmelnytsky Perinatal Center in Rivne and Khmelnytsky, Ukraine.

Subject recruitment varied between the sites, and subject population was racially and ethnically diverse.

Data for Neurobehavior, Dysmorphology, Demographics and Brain Volume were collected from sites 1-5 for children between the ages of 8-16 years. 3D Facial Imaging and Genetic data are also available for children from sites 1-3. Data from a longitudinal study were collected from site 6 for 350 moderately to heavily alcohol-exposed pregnant women and approximately 350 low or unexposed women.

Pregnancies were followed with serial ultrasounds and maternal blood samples were collected and analyzed for various nutrients and markers of oxidative stress and inflammation. Live born infants were given a dysmorphology exam, facial imaging, and neurobehavioral testing.

Phase 2 Projects