House of Representatives Committees

| House of Representatives Standing Committtee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs

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FASD: The Hidden Harm: Inquiry into the prevention, diagnosis and management of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

November 2012

View the report as a single document - (PDF 1.69MB)

View the report as separate downloadable parts:


Preliminary pages	(PDF 98KB)

Chapter 1 Introduction	(PDF 122KB)

Chapter 2 FASD and alcohol consumption patterns	(PDF 363KB)
What are Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders? History The effect of alcohol on a fetus Normal development Alcohol exposure Impact on the fetal brain Effects at critical times of development FASD symptoms Secondary conditions FASD prevalence in Australia FASD and Indigenous communities Alcohol use in Australian society Patterns of consumption Young people Indigenous communities Pregnant women and alcohol consumption rates Reasons pregnant women continue to consume alcohol

Chapter 3 FASD awareness and prevention	(PDF 685KB)
Prevention through education and support The role of health professionals Raising public awareness Specialised intervention and support services Committee Comment Prevention through reforms of alcohol sales and labelling Pricing and availability Promotion Labelling Committee Comment

Chapter 4 Diagnosis	(PDF 139KB)
Critical importance of early diagnosis and intervention Obstacles to diagnosis Stigma Current capacity of health professionals to diagnose FASD Complexity of FASD Nationally consistent diagnostic tool and guidelines Lack of diagnostic services in Australia After the diagnosis Committee Comment

Chapter 5 Management needs	(PDF 176KB)
Lack of prevalence data to inform management Carers Challenges Actions Education Challenges Actions Criminal Justice System Challenges Actions Identifying FASD as a disability Committee Comment

Appendix A – List of Submissions	(PDF 33KB)

Appendix B – List of witnesses appearing at public hearings	(PDF 64KB)

Appendix C – List of exhibits	(PDF 49KB)