Clinic to target baby alcohol disorders

Australia's first screening and diagnostic service for children with alcohol-related birth defects could be up and running by the end of the year. The service is being set up by The Children's Hospital at Westmead in Sydney amid concerns that thousands of Australian children are suffering from fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). The disorders are triggered in unborn babies exposed to alcohol consumed by their mothers and are the most common, preventable cause of disabilities and brain damage in children. Experts fear that while physical signs of FASD such as smaller skulls are obvious to doctors, many associated neurodevelopmental disorders are missed. Professor of paediatrics and child health at the Children's Hospital Elizabeth Elliott said it was hard to know exactly how many children were affected by FASD because of a lack of research and diagnostic clinics. However she estimates that at least two per cent of all Australian babies are born with FASD each year. "That's likely a significant underestimate because doctors aren't recognising it and aren't asking women about alcohol use in pregnancy," she said. "There's a lot of perceptions that making a diagnosis will stigmatise children and their families." Prof Elliott said the clinic should be open later this year thanks to a $108,000 grant from the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation. It will ensure children suspected to have FASD are assessed, diagnosed and referred for treatment. About 30 such clinics operate in the United States and Canada. "We don't know the size of the problem but we know a lot of women are drinking at high-risk levels and that includes during pregnancy," Prof Elliott said. "We have recently done a national survey suggesting 30 per cent of women did drink while they were pregnant and did so at high risk levels of five or more drinks on an average occasion. "Many of those women were not aware of the potential harm of drinking alcohol during pregnancy. "We have to get the message across that drinking alcohol when you are pregnant can damage the baby." The Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation is funding the clinic along with six other projects targeting FASD as part of a $500,000 national campaign. The foundation's chief executive Michael Thorn said FASD had been neglected for too long, with many sufferers having problems with learning, poor memory, coordination and communicating. "If we don't do something about this now it will be too late for a generation of children who will be born into a life of disability as a result of their mother's drinking," he said. Government guidelines for mums-to-be state that alcohol can harm the developing fetus or breastfeeding baby and recommend not drinking during pregnancy as the safest option.