Publications

Community controlled Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS) lead the way in addressing the health needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. If appropriately resourced, AMSs are inherently well-placed to address prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). The Strong Start, Bright Future project and a regional AMS co-created culturally-informed approaches to address PAE and FASD. This study reports baseline findings and proposed strategies for the implementation phase of the project.

Children and youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have limited access to assessment, diagnostic, and treatment resources – a distinct disadvantage in meeting their care needs in Australia. Limited knowledge exists on the intersection of FASD, Indigeneity, racism, trauma, and child welfare involvement. Notably, the lack of support for children with FASD increases the risk of adverse outcomes, including incarceration, homelessness, mental health problems, and early mortality. Children with FASD are often cared for in the child protection system by kinship carers, many without a diagnosis or the benefits of FASD informed care. This research examined the caregiving experiences of foster and Aboriginal kinship carers, caring for children with FASD in child protection.

The Australian Guidelines for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder were released in May 2025. These guidelines, updated from the 2016 Australian Guide, were developed through extensive stakeholder consultation, a comprehensive review of empirical evidence and the application of a novel Grading of Recommendations, Development and Evaluation (GRADE)-based approach for developing evidence-based diagnostic criteria.

Animal studies suggest PAE disrupts fetal iron homeostasis, but direct evidence in the human brain is lacking. Because iron is essential for neurodevelopmental processes including myelination, neurotransmitter synthesis, and energy metabolism, perturbations in iron deposition may represent a modifiable mechanism linking PAE to adverse outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore whether PAE is associated with brain iron levels at age 7 years, assessed using quantitative susceptibility mapping MRI.

Policy makers lack guidance on effective ways to introduce alcohol warnings, making it important to document the experiences of early adopter countries. Aims of this study were to (i) assess uptake of a mandated pregnancy warning label in Australia, (ii) identify the placement of the warning on products (i.e. front, back, side, top, or bottom), and (iii) compare the results for (i) and (ii) between 2023 and 2024 to provide insights into industry willingness to engage with the policy.

The Australian Guidelines for Assessment and Diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (2025) introduce a minimum PAE threshold, unlike the 2016 Guide to FASD Diagnosis, which allowed for diagnosis at any exposure level. This retrospective case review evaluates whether applying the minimum PAE threshold would alter diagnostic outcomes for individuals previously assessed for FASD at a specialist neurodevelopmental clinic in Queensland.