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The Toronto Star

March 2, 2009 Monday

Correction Appended

Alcohol disorder takes toll

Damage caused by expectant mothers who drink costs Canada $5 billion a year,

researchers find

BYLINE: Emily Mathieu, Toronto Star

SECTION:NEWS Pg. A04

LENGTH: 853 words

The damage caused by expectant mothers who drink during pregnancy is costing Canada more than $5 billion a year, a report

says.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) impacts one in 100 children, or almost 243,000 Canadians, causing low birth

weight, restricted growth, physical and mental disability and, in some cases, heart problems.

Doctors dealing with the disorder say there is a dire need for more diagnostic services and warn that even with government

intervention, FASD will carry a high price tag for generations.

"We all know one drink is not going to cause FASD," says Dr. Brenda Stade, the head of the FASD clinic at Toronto's St.

Michael's Hospital who co-wrote the paper, published i n the January edit ion of the Canadian Journal of ClinicalPharmacology. "Bottom line, you should abstain if you can. If you can't, you should go to your family doctor and try to cut

down."

Eight-year-old Caitlyn Nugent was born addicted to alcohol after her mother sipped vodka coolers throughout her pregnancy

Her 10-year-old sister Chrystal isn't as badly affected but has also been diagnosed with conditions classified under FASD, an

umbrella term for a variety of mental, physical and behavioural problems linked to drinking during pregnancy, including

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

"The children do look normal, but they don't act normal," says their grandfather, Doug Nugent, who with his wife Larraine

have raised the girls since they were babies in Toronto. Their son is the girls' father. "There is a lot of confusion about their

behaviour ... they are not spoi led brats. It 's just brain damag e."

Some FASD children bear hallmark facial features, including smaller and wide-set eyes, a thin upper lip and no groove

between the n ose and lip . Bu t many don't, which is why their b ehaviour is often misundersto od well into adu lth ood. "These

people hav e b een struggling for years and nobody can really recognize their disability," says Stade, who has ado pted a child

with the disorder. The clinic opened six years ago and diagnoses about 400 patients every year, of all ages. They are

expanding to meet demand.

The report by the Hospital for Sick Children, the Public Health Agency of Canada and St. Mike's, involved interviews with

250 caregivers of children and adu lts with FASD on t he costs of emergency medical care, health services, education and o ut-

of-pocket spendi ng, includ ing medication and recreational activities. FASD is a recognized d isability so t he costs of the


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Ontario Disability Support Program were included. No one knows exactly how much alcohol causes the disorder. To prevent

confusion over what could be safe, most experts advise pregnant women not to d rink at all.

Every chi ld's condition and n eeds are different an d complicated, Stade says. Mental impairment in cludes behaviou ral issues,

probl ems learning and impaired social skills and judgment.

But many children with the disorder, she says, are socially adept, using small talk to fit in and, given the proper support, can

function well in certain positions, including some trades. But getting to that point requires a tremendous amount of support.

Doug and his wife are both 57. But, he says, "my retirement started six years ago, once the kids came. I couldn't go out andwork full-time."

Caitlyn and Ch rystal hav e serious dental problems and "their immune system is zilch," says their grandfather. They bo th

require inhalers and are constantly battling infections. They have had speech and physical therapy and need sensory

integration therapy - essentially exposing them to a barrage of sensations to teach them to respond properly to stimuli.

FASD children have trouble focusing, says Doug.

"The teachers, they can't understand why the kids are not capable of doin g work ... the signal doesn't get through properly."

It's easy, Doug says, for outsiders to find fault with a child affected by FASD. Caitlyn and Chrystal have difficulty

understanding social cues, it's hard for them to play with other children and they are prone to severe mood swings. "I'm a littlebit scared for th e girls when they start the n ext level of school. The so cial aspects of the hig her-level schools scare me,

because these children are so vulnerable," he says.

Of their teenage years, Larraine says: "I'm really dreading them because they are such followers ... it doesn't matter how much

you try to streetwise them. It is going to be hard." She and her husband's main goal is to raise awareness and get the

government to provide funding for early services and therapies for kids with FASD and their families.

That is why they invited the Star into their home to speak about the girls. They have applied twice to the province's Family

Responsibility Office to g et coverage for dental care and prescription medication. They were rejected bot h t imes, told

incorrectly th at FASD is not a recognized di sability and that bein g grandparents disqualifies them.

"I would love t o tell the go vernment to live with t hese children themselves," says their grandfather. "It's banging y our head u pagainst a brick wall, trying to get acceptance for these children ... they need assistance."

LOAD-DATE: March 7, 2009

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

CORRECTION-DATE: March 6, 2009

CORRECTION: The Nugent family twice applied to the Ministry of Community and Social Services, not to the FamilyResponsibility Office, in their attempt to get cov erage for dental care and p rescription medication.

GRAPHIC: Tara Walton toronto star Larraine Nugent sits with her granddaughters, Chrystal, 10, centre, and Caitlyn, 8, right,

in their living room. Caitlyn was born addicted to alcohol after her mother drank vodka coolers throughout her pregnancy.

Chrystal isn't as badly affected but also suffers from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

DOCUMENT-TYPE: COLUMN

PUBLICATION-TYPE:NEWSPAPER


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Copyright 2009 Toronto Star Newspapers, Ltd.

2009.torstar.on.burden.study

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