University of Western Ontario

Stress and FASD

|Researcher: Stan Van Uum|
|Funded by: The Canadian Foundation on Fetal Alcohol Research (CFFAR) and the Brewers Association of Canada (BAC)|

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Experiences of Aboriginal Foster Parents with Children in the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum

|Researcher: Jason Brown|
|Funded by: SSHRC|

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Laurentian – University of Sudbury

The Beautiful Challenge: Families Raising Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Ontario

Project Description:

The Beautiful Challenge: Families Raising Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in Ontario is a paper-based, Masters thesis investigating the lived experiences of parents raising children with FASD in Ontario, Canada. Historically, researchers have approached the exploration of families with the notion that families of children with a developmental disability would present with a pathological profile. However, a recent paradigm shift has transitioned the focus from deficit-based outcomes to those that highlight positive outcomes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify factors that both facilitate and hinder family adaptation. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyze semi-structured interviews with 84 parents of children with FASD from 59 families across Ontario. Parents utilize a number of coping strategies, supports, and transformational outcomes that enable them to adapt to raising their child with FASD. However, parents and caregivers also discuss stressors that hinder successful family adaptation, such as the lack of education of health care professionals and teachers and limited support for their child or the family. Understanding the particular issues and challenges that families of children with FASD face is essential in developing, improving, and implementing appropriate and effective services for parents and their child with a disability.

Keywords: fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, family adaptation, parenting stress, qualitative research, family resources

Time Frame: September 2011 – September 2013 (overall project – ongoing since 2008)

FULL THESIS AVAILABLE: https://zone.biblio.laurentian.ca/dspace/bitstream/10219/2108/1/Coons_Kelly_Master_Thesis.pdf

|Researcher: Kelly Coons|
|Funded by: SSHRC|

The beautiful challenge: families raising children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Ontario

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University of Ottawa

Toward a National Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Research Agenda: Setting Evidence-Based Priorities to Improve Outcomes

|Researcher: Jocelynn L. Cook|
|Funded by: CIHR|

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Development of a Pan-Canadian, Coherent, and Comprehensive Plan for FASD Prevention

|Researcher: Jocelynn L. Cook and Sterling K. Clarren|
|Funded by: CIHR|

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University of Toronto

Using Quantitative and Qualitative Methods to Investigate the Sexual Health of First Nations Peoples Living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

|Researcher: Alanna Mary Therese Mihic|
|Funded by: CIHR|

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Embryonic DNA Repair and Ethanol-Initiated Behavioural Deficits in Oxoguanine Glycosylase 1 (OGG1) Knockout Mice: A Role of Oxidatively Damaged DNA and Protection by a Free Radical Spin Trapping Agent

|Researcher: Lutfiya Miller|
|Funded by: CIHR|

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