Beautiful Smiles, Gentle Spirits: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: A Misunderstood Problem

Christine Hughes is manager, Policy Coordination, Developmental Services
Branch, Ontario Ministry of Community, Family and Children’s Services.

Beautiful Smiles, Gentle Spirits examines some of the issues associated
with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and offers strategies and
tools to people working in the community social services and criminal
justice systems, as well as to parents, educators, and caregivers, to
offer an improved life for individuals with FASD.

It has been 30 years since the term “fetal alcohol syndrome” was
first coined, and since that time a great deal of medical research has
been undertaken to try to understand the disorder’s causes and
effects. This relatively short book packs in a lot of information about
what recent research has uncovered. It uses a holistic approach to bring
together professionals working in social, medical, legal, and
educational services, as well as families, caregivers, and individuals
with FASD.

Specific chapters examine alcoholism in a cultural context; define
fetal alcohol syndrome, fetal alcohol effect, and FASD; describe some
common misunderstandings about these disorders; and discuss prevalence
rates. In another chapter, family members provide examples of common
behaviours and traits exhibited by individuals with FASD (e.g., lying,
stealing, problems understanding time and giving instructions, poor
judgment). A chapter dealing with FASD and the law considers how the
legal and justice systems could be more responsive to the needs of
individuals with FASD. Another chapter looks at emerging social
programs, such as the Parent-Child Assistance Project (P-CAP), a model
introduced in Washington State to reduce the number of babies born with
FASD and/or the number of babies born affected by drugs. The final
chapter contains a number of stories from family members and caregivers
about their personal experiences with FASD children. There is an
extensive community service directory, with information on national,
provincial, and territorial organizations. Those interested in further
reading on the subject will find the list of references, including
websites, to be a valuable starting point.