May 2008 - The NCCAH hosted a web symposium entitled: A Kitchen Table Discussion: FASD and Aboriginal Peoples: What are the knowledge gaps, offering interested participants from across Canada with an informal venue to discuss the challenges in the field.

Participants joined Mike Pacey, NCCAH “Advisor on Tap,” who led discussion with guests from Halifax, Iqaluit, Edmonton, Whitehorse, Kelowna, the Hiawatha Reserve near Peterborough, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Toronto joining via internet and telephone. Many were directly involved in FASD programs.

Participants expressed interest in what was happening in other parts of Canada in the area of FASD, in culturally relevant practices, and in building partnerships and connections to increase awareness in Aboriginal communities and develop effective strategies. Pacey said that despite the significant gaps in the published literature and its “relative silence on Aboriginal issues,” services and interventions on the frontlines and in communities are often informed by best practices based on experience and day-to-day interaction with people with FASD. He noted gaps in three key areas:

· evaluation of FASD intervention, prevention and treatment programs involving youth and adults

· information about the prevalence of FASD for both aboriginal and non-aboriginal people in Canada

· aging of persons with FASD

The lack of benchmarks to determine overall prevalence of FASD in Canada “makes it difficult to impress upon people the scope of the issue,” Pacey said. He also noted that misleading data can “play into the public perception of FASD as an Aboriginal problem when it is a general issue across populations.”

Research focusing on gender-specific treatment targeting Aboriginal women generated discussion amongst participants about the need for sensitivity regarding intergenerational experiences, and past sexual and physical abuse. The group also expressed concerns about lack of resources in remote and rural communities for conducting assessments and providing culturally sensitive support to children and families. The role of “telehealth,” using communications and information technology to deliver health care services, was discussed as one possible means of improving access by overcoming barriers of geography, transportation infrastructure, and socio-economic disparity. This topic is of continued interest in Aboriginal communities, and is leading to further collaborative NCCAH work on strategies and interventions for FASD-afflicted children and youth. Pacey is wrapping up two NCCAH reports on the issue of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Aboriginal communities.

In addition to his work with the National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health, Mike Pacey is a senior analyst with a provincial health ministry. His publications include co-authored papers in Canadian Public Policy and The Canadian Journal on Aging. The “fireside chat” was managed through CHNET-Works!, University of Ottawa, CHNET-Works! was created with the intention of linking community health professionals (researchers, practitioners, decision- and policy-makers) to discuss current and pressing issues and to share leading edge research and applications. More than 100 “chats” have been conducted since 2006, more than one a week. Dorothy Bonnenfant, CHET-Works! “animateur,” provides technical support and guidance for participants. She said there are few other organizations hosting “webinars” on a national basis.

“We're just scratching the surface of its potential. Our database of participants is now at approximately 2,600 and growing with each fireside chat.”